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		Dmitriy Alekseevich Oglobin
		November 8, 1893 - February 6, 1942
		Taxonomic specialization:	Chrysomelidae, Alleculidae, Coleoptera

Dmitry Alekseyevich Ogloblin, a well known Russian entomologist and an eminent specialist in leaf beetles, was born in Borisoglebsk, Tambov Province in 1893. In 1912 he finished a classical gymnasium in Poltava and entered Natural Sciences Department of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of the Kiev University. He graduated from the university in 1916.

When a student he worked since 1912 in summer time as a trainee at the Natural History Museum of the Entomological Bureau of the Poltava Province zemstvo and at the Department of Entomology of the Poltava Agricultural Experimental Station. In 1917-1918 he was entomologist of the Poltava museum. In 1919-1920 he was deputy director of the Art Museum in Poltava.

Since that time he began teaching in invertebrate zoology and conducting entomological work at the Poltava Agricultural Experimental Station. At the same time he was a non-staff Professor of Entomology at the Poltava Agricultural Institute. In 1930 he was assigned to the position of a specialist of the All-Union Plant Protection Institute of Lenin Agricultural Academy in Leningrad. From 1931 to 1933 he was a scientific supervisor of the Sector of General Entomology and, from 1931 to 1937, Head of the Systematics Section of the same institute. In 1933 he was elected a a Senior Researcher, and in 1938 he was elected head of Coleopterological Department of the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

D.M. Ogloblin began scientific work in his specialization ( systematics of leaf beetles Chrysomelidae) in 1912 studying local faunas. Further, specializing in this taxonomic group he continuously worked in this field to the last days of his life. Since 1912 he maintained contacts with the Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences examining its collections on different taxa of leaf beetles. D.A. Ogloblin was a recognized authority in his field; his knowledge on this taxon was not restricted to the Palaearctic Region, covering the entire world fauna.

In addition to being an expert in the Palaearctic fauna D.A. Ogloblin had particularly extensive knowledge on neotropical fauna having an opportunity to concentrate in his hands rich collection material. In the field of agricultural entomology, jointly with A.V. Znamensky, he organized and conducted a study of patterns of quantitative and qualitative distribution of Hessian fly in the USSR, organized and headed a network of observation posts in the Ukraine and examined pests of sebaceous cultures there and from 1929 through 1932 examined the state (abundance dynamics) of beet moth in the European part of the USSR and in Kazakhstan.

During the last years of his life D.A. Ogloblin worked mostly at the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. During those years D.A. Ogloblin published a fundamental monograph on leaf beetles of the subfamily Galerucinae of the Palearctic fauna (in the edition " The Fauna of the USSR"). In this work he displayed to a full extent his analytical abilities and his great talent as a morphologist taxonomist, his exceptional scientific throughness and profound knowledge of the group.

During those years D.A. Ogloblin prepared for print (together with D. V. Znoiko) a review of paleartic representatives of comb-claw beetles of the Omophlinae family; he collected very complete material on coleopterous larvae from very different localities of the USSR, examination of that material from functional, comparative morphological and evolutionary points of view was to become the subject of dissertation of D.A. Ogloblin for the degree Doctor of Sciences.

For collecting additional material on this subject D.A. Ogloblin undertook numerous trips, organized extensive correspondence between entomologists and conducted numerous observations in nature on rearing of larvae of beetles of very different taxonomic groups; those works clarified to what species many forms of beetle larvae belong, in particular a large number of noxious forms and also their association with certain species of cultural and wild flora. D.A. Ogloblin collected remarkably complete material on twisted-winged insects (Strepsiptera), being particularly interested in their biology and taxonomy.

An important and urgent task of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is also scientific processing of this extremely valuable heritage left by D.A. Obloblin. A requirement to each taxonomic work is practicality, which would permit researchers to study the same taxonomic group, to use material of the present work with minimum time expenditures and maximum adequacy. Works of D. A. Ogloblin on beetle taxonomy are an example of skillful and orderly combination of true scientific approach and practicality. The works were organized by the author with maximum consideration of all characteristics of the object on both adult and larval phase using all modern methods of entomological research; in all these works practicality principle is observed in both research technique and organizing technique. These qualities made works of D.A. Ogloblin highly authentic. This authenticity was also typical of works of other authors who based their conclusions on the works of D.A. Ogloblin.

Preparatory documentation of works of D.A. Ogloblin was exceptionally complete; the amount of material used always exceeded the number of conclusions made. Extreme caution in conclusions was typical of D.A. Ogloblin on all stages of his work. This caution made the author to verify again and again the facts that did not seem to him to be quite authentic. Because of extreme caution in conclusions many large works of D.A. Ogloblin unfortunately remained unfinished. Even exceptionally rich material collected and examined appeared to D.A. Ogloblin insufficient for completing his research; in particular, he did not complete examination of interesting and important groups of leaf beetles, such as Cryptocephalinae and Halticinae; many chapters on them had been written a long time before that or at least prepared for print in the edition "The Fauna of the USSR".

Social importance of activities of D.A. Ogloblin was not exhausted by his personal scientific work. D.A. Ogloblin was an indisputable authority in very different questions of techniques of research supplementary work. Extensive knowledge in the field of graphic art and illustrator's talent made him an irreplaceable adviser in all issues concerned with illustration of scientific works. No less extensive and diverse was knowledge of D.A. Ogloblin in polygraphic techniques. It was possible to gain knowledge from D.A. Ogloblin in the area of microscopy. Owing to his organizational talent and care about his colleagues Ogloblin was an excellent director.

These traits of D.A. Ogloblin were displayed in his work at the Institute of Plant Protection and at the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences where in addition to being the head of the Coleoptera Department he conducted large editorial work that involved the main editions of the Institute "Trudy ZIN" and "The Fauna of the USSR". These qualities and organizer's talent were also displayed in the public work conducted by D.A. Ogloblin at the Plant Protection Institute as well as at the Zoological Institute. During the Siege of Leningrad, during WWII D.A. Ogloblin and his family lived in his study at the Zoological Institute, because his flat was destroyed by bombing. It was there that D.A. Ogloblin died of dystrophy on 6 February 1942.

Many people knew D.A. Ogloblin as a principled scientist, but few knew him as a kind and responsive person. With the death of D.A. Ogloblin Soviet entomology lost a talented organizer and its motive force, and this loss will be felt for many years. Colleagues of D.A. Ogloblin lost a close friend, who could always offer his friendly advice and assistance.

N.D. Ogloblina, August 2003
(based on memorial publication by A.A. Stakelberg "Entomologicheskoye obozrenie", 1945, Vol. 28 (3-4): 131-134).

TOTAL OF PUBLICATIONS: 25

Last updated: August 14, 2003