Table Of ContentZOOSYSTEMATICA ROSSICA, 20(2): 356–359 25 DECEMBER 2011
To the memory by Vladimir Ivanovich Tobias (1929–2011)
Памяти Владимира Ивановича Тобиаса (1929–2011)
S.A. BELOKOBYLSKIJ & M.J. SHARKEY
С.А. БЕЛОКОБЫЛЬСКИЙ, М. ДЖ. ШАРКИ
S.A. Belokobylskij, Zoological Institute Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg 199034, Russia.
E-mails: [email protected]
M.J. Sharkey, Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington KY 40546-0091, U.S.A.
E-mail: [email protected]
This year on July 2th, 2011, the famous braconid subfamily Euphorinae, based upon
Russian entomologist, Vladimir Ivanovich male and female genital structures, and in-
Tobias, passed away at the age of 82. cluding a thorough analysis of host-parasite
He was born on July 6th, 1929 in relationships (1965, 1966). His suggestion
Kineshma, Ivanovo Province, USSR. In to place a number of taxa, earlier regarded
1948 Dr Tobias enrolled as an undergradu- as representatives of separate subfamilies,
ate in the Biology and Soil Science Depart- in the Euphorinae has been confirmed over
ment of Leningrad State University, and time, demonstrating his insight and knowl-
graduated there with an honours diploma edge before the advent of molecular tools.
in 1953. In the same year he started his In 1970 Dr Tobias published a generic re-
post-graduate study at the Zoological In- view of the braconid fauna of the USSR, a
stitute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, significant contribution to the investigation
and all his further scientific activities were of the diversity of this group of parasitoids
associated with this Institute. In 1959 he in this large region (translated into English
defended his dissertation for the degree in 1975). His next tome entitled “Braconid
Candidate of Sciences on the systematics of wasps of Caucasus (Hymenoptera, Braconi-
the genus Bracon (in arid territories of the dae)”, a large and very important investiga-
USSR), and in 1969 he defended his disser- tion of the fauna of this region of the USSR,
tation for the degree Doctor of Sciences on was published in 1976.
the classification, evolution and phylogeny Publication of the two-volume “Key
of Braconidae. for the Identification of Braconidae of the
The main research activities of Dr Tobias USSR, European Part” (1986) was the
centred on the systematics of Braconidae, a most important synthesis of knowledge of
large family of parasitic Hymenoptera. He this group of entomophagous insects in this
began his research studying the genus Bra- period for Europe and Middle Asia. These
con, one of the largest and most complicated volumes were translated into English in
genera of braconids. The keys he compiled, 1995 and became manuals for scientists
including the published key to subgenera studying this group of parasitoids through-
and species of this genus for the faunas of out the world. Another important contribu-
the USSR European part (1986) and of the tion by Dr Tobias was made (together with
Russian Far East (2000), remain the de- co-authors) in compiling the three-volume
finitive diagnostic tools for Bracon in the “Key for the Identification of Braconidae of
Palaearctic Region. An important accom- the Russian Far East” (1998, 2000, 2007).
plishment was his generic revision of the These books were the first summary of the
© 2011 Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Scienсes
S.A. BELOKOBYLSKIJ & M.J. SHARKEY. TO THE MEMORY BY VLADIMIR IVANOVICH TOBIAS (1929–2011) 357
Fig 1. V.I. Tobias. A, private photo, 1981; B, VI Congress of the All-Union Entomological Society,
Voronezh, 1970; C, in ANIC, Canberra, Australia, 1979; D, on XIX International Congress of Ento-
mology, Beijing, China, 1992 (with Dr X. Chen).
© 2011 Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Scienсes, Zoosystematica Rossica 20(2): 356–359
358 S.A. BELOKOBYLSKIJ & M.J. SHARKEY. TO THE MEMORY BY VLADIMIR IVANOVICH TOBIAS (1929–2011)
Fig 2. V.I. Tobias. A, on the working place in Zoological Institute RAS, St Petersburg, 2000; B, private
photo, 2006; C, collecting of braconids, Tychkino, Novgorod Province, 2003; D, private photo, 2010.
© 2011 Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Scienсes, Zoosystematica Rossica 20(2): 356–359
S.A. BELOKOBYLSKIJ & M.J. SHARKEY. TO THE MEMORY BY VLADIMIR IVANOVICH TOBIAS (1929–2011) 359
fauna and systematics of Eastern Palaearc- cation of wasps of the families Scoliidae,
tic Braconidae. For the last 30 years or so Tiphiidae, Sapygidae, Pompilidae, Vespidae
V.I. Tobias studied Microchelonus (subfam- and Eumenidae of the European part of the
ily Cheloninae), one of the largest Palae- USSR (1978).
arctic genera of Braconidae, of which he In total he published 303 scientific
described 357 new species! The monograph works including nine monographs.
of Microchelonus species of the Palaearctic Perhaps Dr Tobias’ greatest contribution
Region with key to all 434 known species was in mentoring a future generation of sys-
(2010) was his last major book. tematists. More than 30 theses for the degree
Dr Tobias proposed the subfamilies of Candidate of Sciences (= D. Ph.) were de-
Betylobraconinae (1979), Telengainae fended under his supervision, and many of
(1962), the fossil subfamily Diospilitinae his disciples continued and obtained the de-
(1987), and raised to the rank of the sub- gree of Doctor of Sciences. For many years
family, Meteorideinae (1967), Lysiterminae Dr Tobias taught a course on entomopha-
(1968) and the fossil taxon Acampsoche- gous insects in the Entomology Department
loninae (1987). He described a total of 22 of Leningrad (now St Petersburg) State
supergeneric taxa, 65 genera and subgenera, University and attracted the most talented
and 1585 new species! students to scientific activities and to the
Dr Tobias studied phylogenetic rela- study of hymenopteran insects.
tions in the family Braconidae employing Dr Tobias was elected Secretary of the
Hennig’s cladistic method (1967, 1968) and All-Union Entomological Society in 1960
proposed a new classification elucidating and since then participated actively in the
the main evolutionary tendencies charac- workings of the Society where he was vice-
teristic of this group. He also studied mor- president since 1970, and President since
phological structures and their evolutionary 2009. Dr Tobias participated in the organiz-
transformations (male genitalia, metasoma, ing committees of the 4th to 12th congress-
head and labio-maxillary complexes) for the es of the All-Union/Russian Entomological
purpose of assessing their value in phyloge- Society. He was a member of the Presidium
netic analyses. Dr Tobias made an impor- of the Council of the Russian Entomologi-
tant contribution to the study of swarming cal Society, and for many years he was edi-
(leking) of braconid males and some other
tor of the Proceedings of the Society and of
groups of Hymenoptera (1997–2002). He
the Proceedings of the congresses.
proposed original ideas on the evolution of
Dr Tobias was a person principled in ar-
the ability of parasitoids and wasps to para-
guments and judgments of a diversity of sci-
lyze their hosts, on the evolution of adult
entific problems, a talented researcher and
behaviour, on the evolution of the body size,
supervisor, and an interesting and stimulat-
and on the function of morphological char-
ing companion. He was a man with wide-
acters in first instar parasitoid larvae.
ranging interests and applied the knowledge
Dr Tobias made valuable contributions
he gained to hymenopteran systematics. His
to the systematics of aculeate Hymenop-
death is an irreplaceable loss to science, and
tera, and published keys for the identifi-
to all of his friends, colleagues, and disciples.
© 2011 Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Scienсes, Zoosystematica Rossica 20(2): 356–359
