Biographical dictionary

The Biographical Dictionary of British Coleopterists is compiled and maintained by Michael Darby. The Dictionary can be accessed below, and see also the additional information provide by Michael:

Michael would be pleased to hear from anyone wishing to make corrections or alterations to the Dictionary, which will be fully acknowledged. Email Michael Darby or write to Michael at 33 Bedwin Street, SALISBURY, Wiltshire, SP1 3UT.

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Namesort descending Dates Biography
SISLEY, Claude 1883 – 18 November 1959 Cousin of the painter Alfred Sisley. Worked for Cuprinol and was their technical adviser from 1933 – 56 with a special interest in wood boring insects. FRESL from 1952. (MD 11/04)
SKIDMORE, Peter 23 May 1936 - 19 July 2009

Primarily known for his work on Diptera and, later, sub-fossil insects, but in his role as Keeper of Natural Sciences at Doncater Museum he inevitably came into contact with Coleoptera. His AIDCAP book Insects of the Cow-Dung Community, 1991, contains very useful keys and illustrations to many Coleoptera. Colin Johnson records in his long and detailed obituary (including a portrait and a bibliography listing 148 published papers and books, and 99 unpublished reports) in EMM, 148, 2012, 63-79, that Skidmore found seven beetles new to Britain including Epiphanus cornutus  Esch. from Chedworth, Glos. in 1966, and Othius lapidicola Kies. from Scotland in 1988.  With Johnson he compiled and published 'A preliminary list of the Coleoptera of Merioneth, North Wales' in Ent. Gaz., 20, 1969, 139-225, which listed 1,150 species and was then the most comprehensive review of any Welsh County. With Johnson he also published his only new species to science, Ptinellodes hunteri, in 2005 from Malawi. Johnson named the Ptiliid genus Skidmorella after him from the Bismarck Islands.

There is another obituary by Howes, C., Limbert, M. & Buckland, P. 'Peter Skidmore BA, MPhil, PhD, FRES, FLS (1936-2009) Entomologist, Conservationist, Curator and Illustrator: a memorial tribute' in The Naturalist 2010 135(1073): 75-83 which includes a portrait and bibliography. See also Limbert M.  (2020) A consolidated list of titles by Peter Skidmore PhD, FRES, privately printed (pp.1-12) which includes a list of additional biographical sources. (MD 8/20, 9/22)
SKINNER, Percy F. Stevens sold the British Lepidoptera and Coleoptera ‘neatly carded’ on 8 May 1928. The beetles were contained in a polished pine cabinet of twelve drawers (lots 121 – 130). (MD 11/04)
Skrimshire, Dr Fenwick

See Skrimshire, Rev. Thomas
SKRIMSHIRE, Thomas

A Reverend. One of four brothers three of whom were entomologists : Dr Fenwick Skrimshire, William Skrimshire (Junior) and himself. Published ‘A Catalogue of Coleopterous Insects collected in a few hours at Wisbech, with a note of M. Haworth.’ in Trans.ESL, 1812, pp.315-322. I haven't seen this paper but Darren Mann informs me that it is an extremely usefuln resource on the brothers (MD 11/04, 2/20)
Skrimshire, William (junior)

See Skrimshire, Rev. Thomas
SLATER, J.W. Published notes on Cychrus rostratus and Carabus catenulatus in Zool., 3, 1845, p.888 and 5, 1847, p.1674 . (MD 11/04)
SLOAN, George Glasgow Museum acquired a collection of Brazilian insects including Coleoptera from Sloan in 1921 (1921-22). He lived at 14 Atholl Gardens, Glasgow. (Information from Geoff Hancock). (MD 11/04)
SMEDLEY Contributor of records to Ellis (1889). (MD 11/04)
SMITH, Arthur Lived in York. There are specimens collected by him on the Isle of Wight dated 1947 in the general collection at Doncaster Museum. They were acquired as part of the Gilmour Collection. (MD 11/04)

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