# Max Barclay

Maxwell V L Barclay FRES is a British entomologist, and Curator and Collections Manager of Coleoptera and Hemiptera at the Natural History Museum in London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, and a member of the editorial board of The Coleopterist journal. He has been described as ‘one of Britain’s leading entomologists’.

## Career

Barclay is one of the four virtual ‘Scientist Guides’ of the Natural History Museum’s new Darwin Centre and was among the group that showed the building to Prince William at its 2009 opening. He is a frequent public speaker and media spokesman for entomology and the Museum, most notably appearing in three of the six episodes of the 2010 BBC Series Museum of Life presented by Jimmy Doherty. He believes that public speaking is important 'to enthuse the next generation of scientists and naturalists, and to legitimise what we do in the eyes of the public'. In 2016 he gave the Royal Entomological Society's Verrall Lecture speaking on 'Collections: the last great frontiers of exploration'. In 2008 he was involved in the identification of a species of bug new to Britain in the Museum’s garden.
Barclay is best known for his work on beetles (Coleoptera), and is author of scientific papers and co-editor of a text book on the subject. He worked as a volunteer in the Department of Entomology for several years before being offered the post of Curator in 2001. The collection of the Natural History Museum that he manages includes more than 20,000 drawers of beetles, including specimens collected by Joseph Banks, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. He has travelled extensively in search of specimens, including to Bolivia, Peru, Taiwan and Thailand, and has discovered new species.

## Recognition

106 beetle taxa have been named in his honour by fellow scientists, including:
Carabidae
* Goniotropis barclayi Deuve, 2005
* Platynus barclayi Schmidt, 2009
* Orictites barclayi Balkenohl, 2017
* Brachinus barclayi Hrdlička, 2019
* Rugiluclivina barclayi Bulirsch & Magrini, 2025
Hydrophilidae
* Berosus barclayi Ponomarenko & Soriano, 2019 (Upper Eocene fossil)
Ptiliidae
* Acrotrichis barclayi Darby, 2014
Staphylinidae
* Naddia barclayi Rougemont, 2016
* Asimos barclayi Chatzimanolis, 2023
* Loncovilius barclayi Reyes-Hernandez, Kappel Hansen, Jenkins Shaw & Solodovnikov, 2023
* Paraphloeostiba barclayi Shavrin, 2024
Scarabaeidae
* Ixorida (Pseudomecinonota) barclayi Legrand, 2008
* Gynaecoserica barclayi Ahrens, 2009
* Clinterocera barclayi Legrand & Chew, 2010
* Copris (Sinocopris) barclayi Ochi, 2010
* Protaetia (Macroprotaetia) maxwelli Jakl, 2011
* Madecorphnus barclayi Frolov, 2012
* Bietia barclayi Krajcik, 2012
* Onthophagus maxwellianus Moretto, 2013
* Mesomerodon barclayi Seidel, Jameson & Stone, 2017
* Rhyparus barclayi Ochi et al., 2019
* Rhyparus telnovietbarclayi Minkina & Jákl, 2024
* Wernoryctes barclayi Takano, 2020
* Bilga barclayi Lacroix,Coache & Filippi, 2023
Cantharidae
* Themus (Haplothemus) barclayi Svihla, 2006
Heteroceridae
* Tropicus maxwelli Skalicky, 2010
Limnichidae
* Phalacrichus max Ribera & Hernando, 2001
Throscidae
* Trixagus barclayi Kirejtshuk, 2019 (Upper Eocene fossil)
Eucnemidae
* Bioxylus barclayi Otto, 2016
Elateridae
* Athous barclayi Platia, 2010
Ptinidae
* Clada barclayi Zahradník & Trýzna, 2018
Dermestidae
* Orphinus barclayi Hava & Matsumoto, 2021
* Anthrenus barclayi Háva, 2019
* Thaumaglossa barclayi Kadej and Háva, 2015
Scirtidae
* Scirtes maxi Yoshitomi & Ruta, 2010
* Cyphon barclayi Yoshitomi, 2012
Psephenidae
* Falsodrupeus barclayi Lee, 2011
* Homoeogenus barclayi Lee, 2016
Buprestidae
* Endelus barclayi Kalashian, 2011
* Aphanisticus barclayi Kalashian & Kubáň, 2014
* Sphenoptera barclayi Kalashian, 2017
* Taphrocerus barclayi Marek, 2019
Lycidae
* Sulabanus barclayi Dvorak & Bocak, 2007
* Alyculus barclayi Palata & Bocak, 2012
Coccinellidae
* Serratibia barclayi Gordon, Canepari & Hanley, 2013
Helotidae
* Neohelota barclayi Lee, 2015
Nitidulidae
* Pocadius barclayi Cline, 2005
Latridiidae
* Cartodere barclayi Rücker, 2012
Aderidae
* Zarcosia barclayi Gompel, 2020
Anthicidae
* Tomoderus barclayi Telnov, 2005
* Macratria maxbarclayi Telnov, 2011
Ischaliidae
* Ischalia barclayi Young, 2011
Tenebrionidae
* Eurychora barclayi Ferrer, 2003
* Amarygmus barclayi Bremer, 2004
* Pseudopodhomala barclayi Medvedev, 2004
* Ulomina barclayi Grimm, 2004
* Enicmosoma barclayi Ferrer, 2005
* Tauroceras barclayi Ferrer, Soldati & Delatour, 2005
* Chariotheca barclayi Masumoto 2006
* Goniadera barclayi Ferrer, 2007
* Pseudonautes barclayi Ando, 2007
* Laena barclayi Schawaller, 2009
* Othryoneus barclayi Ferrer, 2010
* Phylan barclayi Ferrer, 2010
* Hexarhopalus (Leprocaulus) barclayi Purchart, 2010
* Phymatosoma barclayi Masumoto & Akita, 2010
* Blaps barclayi Martínez-Fernández & Ferrer, 2012
* Rhyzodina barclayi Ferrer, 2015
* Stenochinus barclayi Masumoto & Akita, 2019
* Borbonalia barclayi Masumoto, Novák, Akita & Lee, 2019
* Toktokkus barclayi Kamiński & Gearner, 2021
Oedemeridae
* Nacerdes (Xanthochroa) apicipennis barclayi Svihla, 2011
Cerambycidae
* Trypogeus barclayi Vives, 2007
* Melanesiandra barclayi Santos-Silva, 2011
* Acutandra barclayi Bouyer, Drumont & Santos-Silva, 2012
* Colobeutrypanus barclayi Monné & Monné, 2012
* Clytellus barclayi Miroshnikov, 2014
* Oncideres barclayi Nearns & Tavakilian, 2015
* Parandra barclayi Santos-Silva, 2015
* Triammatus barclayi Jiroux, 2016
* Saphanodes barclayi Adlbauer, 2016
* Elydnus barclayi Miroshnikov, 2017
* Lophobothea barclayi Monné M.A., Monné M.L. & Botero, 2017
* Dymasius barclayi Miroshnikov, 2018
* Polyzonus barclayi Skale, 2018
* Lingafelterellus barclayi Bezark & Santos-Silva, 2023
Chrysomelidae
* Cyrtonota maxhowardi Sekerka, 2011 (named for Max and his colleague Howard Mendel)
* Dercetina barclayi Lee & Bezdek, 2013
* Charaea maxbarclayi Bezdek & Lee, 2014
* Diabrotica barclayi Derunkov, Prado, Tishechkin & Konstantinov, 2015
* Doryscus barclayi Lee, 2017
Anthribidae
* Pseudobasidissus barclayi Tryzna & Banar, 2014
* Gymnognathus barclayi Perger & Guerra, 2016
Rhynchitidae
* Rubroinvolvulus barclayi Legalov, 2009
Brentidae
* Stereodermus barclayi Mantilleri, 2004
* Perapion barclayi Alonso-Zarazaga, 2011 [corrected 2013 from mistyped barkleyi]
* Werneradidactus barclayi Orbach & Bartolozzi, 2024
Curculionidae
* Maxwelleus Meregalli, 2022
* Barclayanthus Borovec & Skuhrovec, 2019
* Eudraces barclayi Borovec & Nakladal, 2018
* Heisonyx barclayi Borovec, Colonelli & Osella, 2009
* Larinus barclayi Gültekin & Lyal, 2016
* Pachycerus barclayi Meregalli, 2009
* Sphincticraerus barclayi Košťál, 2019
* Titilayo barclayi Cristovao & Lyal, 2018
* Tychius barclayi Caldara, 2011
as well as the wasp Platygaster barclayi Buhl, 2011, the fulgorid bug Polydictya barclayi Constant, 2016 and the fossil cockroach Mesoblatta maxi Hinkelman, 2020.

## Personal life

Barclay is married with children. As a teenager he worked as a volunteer at the Durrell Wildlife Park and he cites Gerald Durrell as a significant influence.