Lubomír Masner (born April 18, 1934) is a Czech Canadian entomologist, taxonomist, and systematist. His work focuses on Hymenopteran parasitoids, particularly in the superfamilies Proctotrupoidea, Platygastroidea, and Ceraphronoidea. He is responsible for describing many new species, genera, and families of wasps and has completed revisions for these taxonomic groups throughout his career.
Early life and education Lubomír Masner was born on April 18, 1934 in Czechoslovakia. He collected insects from a young age and was encouraged to study Hymenoptera by .
He studied zoology with a focus on entomology at Charles University, earning his BSc in 1952 and his MSc in 1957, before beginning his doctoral studies at the Entomological Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. He earned his doctorate in 1962.
Research and career In 1962, Masner completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at the former Biocontrol Laboratory of Agriculture Canada in Belleville, ON. From 1966 to 1968 he completed a second postdoctoral fellowship at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC. In 1969, he completed a third postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley.
Following the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, Masner relocated to Canada permanently and began working at the Canadian National Collections of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes (CNC) at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Ottawa, ON. He worked at the CNC from 1969 until his retirement in 1996, though he continues to work in the collections as an emeritus researcher.
Awards and honours
Fellowships 1962, Postdoctoral Fellowship, Biocontrol Laboratory of Agriculture Canada, Belleville, ON 1966, Postdoctoral Fellowship, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC 1969, Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of California, Berkeley, CA 1983, New Zealand Ministry of Scientific and Industrial Research 1983, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation of Australia (CSIRO) 1996, Visiting Fellowship, Japan Society for Promotion of Science 2005, Fellowship, Entomological Society of America
Awards 1999, Gold Medal, Entomological Society of Canada 2024,
Positions 1982–1987, President, International Society of Hymenopterists 1986–2005, Board of Directors, American Entomological Institute 1986–?, Grants Committee, CanaColl Foundation
Eponyms
Many species and genera have been named in honour of Masner. Below is a list of some of these taxa:
References