Boris Balinsky

Boris Balinsky
Borys Ivanovych Balinsky (23 September 1905 – 1 September 1997) was a Ukrainian and South African biologist, embryologist, entomologist, professor of Kyiv University and University of the Witwatersrand. Pioneer researcher in the field of experimental embryology, electron microscopy and developmental biology. He was author of popular textbook in embryology An Introduction to Embryology.
Balinsky was born 23 September 1905, in Kyiv, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). He was a student of Ivan Schmalhausen and one of the first to experimentally induce organogenesis in amphibian embryos. Balinsky was a full university professor and the deputy director of the Institute of Biology in Kyiv (now I. I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology) at 28 years of age. He became a recognized expert in fish and amphibian development. Being a victim of Soviet repressions, he remained under German occupation during World War II and fled to Poznań, Poland and later Munich, Germany. Balinsky briefly worked in Scotland in Conrad Hal Waddington's laboratory on mice embryology. Finally, he went to South Africa to become one of the founders of South African experimental bioscience.
Balinsky also worked in entomology and described new species of Plecoptera, Odonata and moths from the family Pyralidae, mainly from Caucasus and South Africa.
He died in Johannesburg 1 September 1997. He had a son John Balinsky who is also a scientist.
Insects described
Plecoptera
Pontoperla teberdinica Balinsky, 1950
Pontoperla katherinae Balinsky
Balinskycercella gudu Balinsky, 1956
Balinskycercella tugelae Balinsky, 1956
Balinskycercella fontium Balinsky, 1956
Dragonflies
Agriocnemis pinheyi Balinsky, 1963
Agriocnemis ruberrima Balinsky, 1961
Ceratogomphus triceraticus Balinsky, 1963
Chlorolestes draconicus Balinsky, 1956
Orthetrum robustum Balinsky, 1965
Pseudagrion helenae Balinsky, 1964
Pseudagrion inopinatum Balinsky, 1971
Pseudagrion vumbaense Balinsky, 1963
Urothemis luciana Balinsky, 1961
Lepidoptera
New species
Abachausia grisea Balinsky, 1994
Acrobasis africanella Balinsky, 1994
Afromyelois communis Balinsky, 1991
Afromylea natalica Balinsky, 1994
Afropsipyla pictella Balinsky, 1994
Afropsipyla similis Balinsky, 1994
Ambetilia crucifera Balinsky, 1994
Ancylosis aeola Balinsky, 1987
Ancylosis eugraphella Balinsky, 1987
Ancylosis eurhoda Balinsky, 1989
Ancylosis glaphyria Balinsky, 1987
Ancylosis melanophlebia Balinsky, 1989
Ancylosis mimeugraphella Balinsky, 1989
Ancylosis montana Balinsky, 1989
Ancylosis namibiella Balinsky, 1987
Ancylosis obscurella Balinsky, 1989
Ancylosis perfervid Balinsky, 1989
Ancylosis similis Balinsky, 1987
Apomyelois bicolorata Balinsky, 1991
Arsissa transvaalica Balinsky, 1991
Aspithroides minuta Balinsky, 1994
Azanicola adspersa Balinsky, 1991
Bahiria defecta Balinsky, 1994
Bahiria durbanica Balinsky, 1994
Bahiria flavicosta Balinsky, 1994
Bahiria latevalvata Balinsky, 1994
Bahiria macrognatha Balinsky, 1994
Bahiria magna Balinsky, 1994
Bahiria similis Balinsky, 1994
Bahiria ximenianata Balinsky, 1994
Cabotella inconspicua Balinsky, 1994
Candiopella dukei Balinsky, 1994
Cantheleamima excisa Balinsky, 1994
Ceuthelea umtalensis Balinsky, 1994
Cunibertoides nigripatagiata Balinsky, 1991
Emporia melanobasis Balinsky, 1991
Encryphodes ethiopella Balinsky, 1991
Epicrocis abbreviata Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis ancylosiformis Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis arcana Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis brevipalpata Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis complicata Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis coriacelloides Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis crassa Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis flavicosta Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis furcilinea Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis gracilis Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis imitans Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis insolita Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis intermedia Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis noncapillata Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis ornata Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis ornatella Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis picta Balinsky, 1991
Epicrocis plumbifasciata Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis punctata Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis sacculata Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis spiculata Balinsky, 1994
Epicrocis vansoni Balinsky, 1994
Eucarphia anomala Balinsky, 1994
Eurhodope nyctosia Balinsky, 1991
Euzophera crassignatha Balinsky, 1994
Euzophera crinita Balinsky, 1994
Euzophera cullinanensis (Balinsky, 1991)
Euzophera minima Balinsky, 1994
Euzophera termivelata Balinsky, 1994
Euzopherodes capicola Balinsky, 1994
Faveria dubia Balinsky, 1994
Faveria fusca Balinsky, 1994
Faveria ignicephalis Balinsky, 1994
Faveria minima Balinsky, 1994
Faveria minuscula Balinsky, 1994
Faveria nonceracanthia Balinsky, 1994
Faveria onigra Balinsky, 1994
Faveria poliostrota Balinsky, 1994
Flabellobasis montana Balinsky, 1991
Gaana minima Balinsky, 1994
Gaana quatra Balinsky, 1994
Getulia maculosa Balinsky, 1994
Hobohmia paradoxa Balinsky, 1994
Homoeosoma masaiensis Balinsky, 1991
Joannisia heterotypa Balinsky, 1994
Joannisia jansei Balinsky, 1994
Joannisia poliopasta Balinsky, 1994
Joannisia semiales Balinsky, 1994
Kivia longisacculata Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia affinis Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia glaucocephalis Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia grisella Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia homotypa Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia hortensis Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia inermis Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia injucunda Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia karkloofensis Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia lugubris Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia nigerrima Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia nonplagella Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia pulchra Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia salisburyensis Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia sarniensis Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia similis Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia spissa Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia squamata Balinsky, 1994
Laodamia zoetendalensis Balinsky, 1994
Leviantenna ferox Balinsky, 1994
Macrovalva quadrielevata Balinsky, 1994
Magiriamorpha superpalpia Balinsky, 1994
Miliberta gnathilata Balinsky, 1994
Nakurubia sacculata Balinsky, 1994
Namibicola simplex Balinsky, 1994
Namibicola splendida Balinsky, 1991
Namibiopsis punctata Balinsky, 1994
Nonphycita lineata Balinsky, 1994
Nyctegretis cullinanensis Balinsky, 1991
Oncocera affinis Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera cenochreella Ragonot, 1888
Oncocera dubia Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera glaucocephalis Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera grisella Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera homotypa Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera horrens Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera hortensis Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera ignicephalis Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera inermis Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera injucunda Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera karkloofensis Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera lugubris Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera nigerrima Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera nonplagella Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera pulchra Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera salisburyensis Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera sarniensis Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera similis Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera spiculata Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera spissa Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera squamata Balinsky, 1994
Oncocera zoetendalensis Balinsky, 1994
Ortholepis polyodonta Balinsky, 1991
Ortholepis pyrobasis Balinsky, 1991
Ortholepis unguinata Balinsky, 1994
Paralaodamia haploa Balinsky, 1994
Paralaodamia angustata Balinsky, 1994
Paralaodamia fraudulenta Balinsky, 1994
Paralaodamia modesta Balinsky, 1994
Paralaodamia pretoriensis Balinsky, 1994
Paralaodamia serrata Balinsky, 1994
Paralaodamia subligaculata Balinsky, 1994
Paralaodamia transvaalica Balinsky, 1994
Phycita attenuata Balinsky, 1994
Phycita exaggerata Balinsky, 1994
Phycita ligubris Balinsky, 1994
Phycita randensis Balinsky, 1994
Phycita singularis Balinsky, 1994
Phycita spiculata Balinsky, 1994
Phycita spissoterminata Balinsky, 1994
Phycita suppenditata Balinsky, 1994
Phycitophila obscurita Balinsky, 1994
Phycitopsis insulata Balinsky, 1994
Pretoria nigribasis Balinsky, 1994
Proancylosis argenticostata Balinsky, 1991
Pseudogetulia luminosa Balinsky, 1994
Pseudographis dermatina Balinsky, 1989
Pseudographis mesosema Balinsky, 1989
Psorosa africana Balinsky, 1991
Pylamorpha albida Balinsky, 1994
Pylamorpha cristata Balinsky, 1994
Quasiexuperius rhodesianus Balinsky, 1994
Ramosignathos inconspicuella Balinsky, 1994
Samaria inconspicuella Balinsky, 1994
Sematoneura africana Balinsky, 1994
Shebania grandis Balinsky, 1991
Shebania maculata Balinsky, 1991
Spatulipalpia monstrosa Balinsky, 1994
Staudingeria mimeugraphella Balinsky, 1989
Trachypteryx victoriola Balinsky, 1991
Ulophora flavinia Balinsky, 1994
New genera
Abachausia Balinsky, 1994
Afromyelois Balinsky, 1991
Afromylea Balinsky, 1994
Afropsipyla Balinsky, 1994
Ambetilia Balinsky, 1994
Aspithroides Balinsky, 1994
Azanicola Balinsky, 1991
Bahiria Balinsky, 1994
Cabotella Balinsky, 1994
Candiopella Balinsky, 1994
Cantheleamima Balinsky, 1994
Ceuthelea Balinsky, 1994
Cunibertoides Balinsky, 1991
Flabellobasis Balinsky, 1991
Hobohmia Balinsky, 1994
Joannisia Balinsky, 1994
Kivia Balinsky, 1994
Leviantenna Balinsky, 1994
Macrovalva Balinsky, 1994
Magiriamorpha Balinsky, 1994
Miliberta Balinsky, 1994
Nakurubia Balinsky, 1994
Namibicola Balinsky, 1991
Namibiopsis Balinsky, 1994
Nonphycita Balinsky, 1994
Paralaodamia Balinsky, 1994
Phycitophila Balinsky, 1994
Proancylosis Balinsky, 1991
Pseudogetulia Balinsky, 1994
Balinsky, 1989
Pylamorpha Balinsky, 1994
Quasiexuperius Balinsky, 1994
Ramosignathos Balinsky, 1994
Shebania Balinsky, 1991
References
Sources
1905 births
1997 deaths
Scientists from Kyiv
People from Kievsky Uyezd
Ukrainian biologists
South African biologists
Emigrants from the Soviet Union
Immigrants to South Africa
20th-century biologists