Anthony Adrian Allen

Anthony Adrian Allen (1 July 1913 – 23 June 2010) was a British entomologist who published several hundred scientific papers, in particular on the Coleoptera (beetles) of the British Isles. He was active for much of the middle and late 20th century. He formed a bridge between the great entomologists of last century, and the present generation, many of whom benefitted from his knowledge and guidance.

Introduction

Anthony Adrian Allen, almost universally known as A.A. Allen, was an entomologist specialising in the beetles (Coleoptera) of the British Isles. He has been described as 'one of the best known British coleopterists'. He was a pupil and friend of several prominent late 19th-early 20th century entomologists, including Horace Donisthorpe and Phillip Harwood. During his career he published hundreds of papers and scientific notes on the subject, Longitarsus fowleri is the most widespread of the four, being associated with teasel on chalk downland in southern Britain. Scraptia testacea is regarded as an indicator species of good quality ancient woodland and parkland. Since their description, three of the species have been found in other European countries but the rove beetle Aleochara phycophila, a parasitoid of seaweed-flies from the south coast of England, is still known only from the type specimen and has never been recorded again.

Longitarsus fowleri is named in honour of Coleopterist William Weekes Fowler.

Honorifics Allen received the rare accolade of having two British beetle species named by colleagues in his honour, the ground-living weevil Trachyphloeus alleni Donisthorpe, 1948 and the latridiid plaster beetle Corticaria alleni Johnson, 1974. However, the former, named by the myrmecologist and coleopterist Horace Donisthorpe, was later placed in synonymy The whereabouts of his collections of other orders, if they still exist, is unknown.