Alexandr Pavlovich Rasnitsyn () is a Russian entomologist, expert in palaeoentomology, and Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation (2001).RASNITSYN Александр Павлович (www.paleo.ru) His scientific interests are centered on the palaeontology, phylogeny, and taxonomy of hymenopteran insects and insects in general. He has also studied broader biological problems such as evolutionary theory, the principles of phylogenetics, taxonomy, nomenclature, and palaeoecology. He has published over 300 articles and books in several languages. In August 2008 he was awarded the Distinguished Research Medal of the International Society of Hymenopterists.
Biography
Alexandr Rasnitsyn was born on 24 September 1936 in Moscow. As a schoolboy Alex was active in the Society of Young Biologists at the Moscow Zoo. In 1955 he became a student at the Biological Faculty of the Moscow State University and in 1960 he graduated with honors from the Department of Entomology. His Master thesis was "Hibernation in the ichneumon-fly subfamily Ichneumoninae". The same year Rasnitsyn joined the Laboratory of Arthropods at the Paleontological institute, Academy of Sciences of USSR. In 1967 he received his Ph.D. in biology from the Paleontological Institute with the thesis "The Mesozoic Hymenoptera Symphyta and the early evolution of Xyelidae". After defending in 1978 his Dr. hab. (doktor nauk) thesis "The origin and evolution of Hymenoptera" Rasnitsyn became Head of the Laboratory of Arthropods. In 1991 he received the title of a Biology Professor. In 1996 he resigned from heading the Laboratory and continued there as a principal research worker, but after the new leader, Vladimir Zherikhin, died in 2001 Rasnitsyn again became the acting Head of the Laboratory (2002—present).
Between 2001 and 2005 Rasnitsyn served as President of the International Palaeoentomological Society. Since 2007 he is serving on the Council of the Russian Entomological Society.
During more than 20 field seasons between 1956 and 2009 Rasnitsyn conducted field work in various regions of Russia and the former USSR, including Fergana Valley, Issyk Kul, Central Asia, Transbaikalia, Taimyr, Okhotsk, Sikhote-Alin, and other parts of Siberia, Far East, and Mongolia.
Family Rasnitsyn has one son, Dmitri, who is from a previous marriage. Dmitri married a Masha Kreinin and Rasnitsyn now has three grandchildren; Alexandra, Shelly, and Jonathan Rasnitsyn, who all live in the US.
Research
One of the world's leading paleoentomologists, Rasnitsyn has described ca. 250Nomenclator Zoologicus new genera and over 800 new species of fossil insects from various orders.
He is one of the foremost authorities on the paleontology and systematics of Hymenoptera whose ideas have formed the foundation of the modern classification of that insect order. Instead of the traditional division into Symphyta and Apocrita, he divided the order into “sawflies” (Siricina) and “stinging and parasitic wasps’’ (Vespina), the latter suborder including the parasitic Orussoidea, traditionally placed in the Symphyta.
Rasnitsyn suggested his own hypothesis on the origin of insect flight. According to him, the wings first evolved, as a means to control gliding, in relatively large insects that had turned to feeding on generative organs of arboreal plants.
Rasnitsyn is one of the most consistent opponents of cladism. He develops an alternative approach to biological systematics, called “phyletics”, which differs from phenetics in taking into account genealogy in addition to similarities and hiatuses.
He also contributed significantly to the epigenetic theory of evolution and, in particular, has put forward the concept of “adaptive compromise” and the notion of macroevolution being irreducible to microevolutionary processes alone.
Rasnitsyn has also made a significant contribution to paleoecology and in collaboration with Vladimir Zherikhin developed the theory of ecological crises.
New taxa described by Alexandr Rasnitsyn
Suborder †Eolepidopterigina Rasnitsyn, 1983 – a suborder of Lepidoptera with the family Eolepidopterigidae Rasnitsyn, 1983Rasnitsyn AP (1983) First record of a moth in the Jurassic. Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR 269(2): 467–471 [In Russian, with English translation in Doklady Biological Sciences [Transactions of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Biological Sciences Section], 1983]. Suborder †Aneuretopsychina Rasnitsyn et Kozlov, 1990 – a suborder of Mecoptera with the family Aneuretopsychidae Rasnitsyn et Kozlov, 1990Rasnitsyn A.P., Kozlov M.V. A new group of fossil insects: scorpions with cicada and butterfly adaptations // Trans. USSR Acad. Science: Earth Science Sect. 1991. V. 310. № 1–6. P. 233–236. Superfamily †Karatavitoidea Rasnitsyn, 1963 – a Mesozoic superfamily of the infraorder Orussomorpha Newman, 1834 with the family Karatavitidae Rasnitsyn, 1963Rasnitsyn AP (1963) The Late Jurassic Hymenoptera of Karatau. Paleontologicheskiy Zhurnal 1963(1): 86–99 [In Russian].Rasnitsyn A.P., Ansorge J., Zhang Haichun. Ancestry of the orussoid wasps, with description of three new genera and species of Karatavitidae (Hymenoptera = Vespida: Karatavitoidea stat. nov.) // Insect Syst. Evol. 2006. V. 37. № 2. P. 179–190. Superfamily †Bethylonymoidea Rasnitsyn, 1975 – a Mesozoic superfamily of Hymenoptera Apocrita with the family Bethylonymidae Rasnitsyn, 1975. The ancestor group of Aculeata.Rasnitsyn AP (1975) Hymenoptera Apocrita of the Mesozoic. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta Akademii Nauk SSSR 147: 1–134 [In Russian]. Family †Parapamphiliidae Rasnitsyn, 1968 – later was included into Sepulcidae Rasnitsyn, 1968 as the subfamily Parapamphiliinae Rasnitsyn, 1968Rasnitsyn AP (1968) New Mesozoic sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta). In: Rohdendorf BB (Ed) Jurassic Insects of Karatau. Nauka Press, Moscow, 190–236 [total pages 252 pp., +25 pls.] [In Russian]. Family †Xyelydidae Rasnitsyn, 1968 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Symphyta from the superfamily Pamphilioidea Family †Gigasiricidae Rasnitsyn, 1968 – a Jurassic family of Hymenoptera Symphyta from the superfamily Siricoidea Family †Xyelotomidae Rasnitsyn, 1968 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Symphyta from the superfamily Tenthredinoidea Family †Pararchexyelydae Rasnitsyn, 1968 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Symphyta Family †Praeaulacidae Rasnitsyn, 1972 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily EvanioideaRasnitsyn AP (1972) Praeaulacidae (Hymenoptera) from the Late Jurassic of Karatau. Paleontologicheskiy Zhurnal 1972(1): 70–87 [In Russian, with English translation in Paleontological Journal, 1972, 6(1): 62–77]. Family †Maimetshidae Rasnitsyn, 1975 – a Cretaceous family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily Ceraphronoidea Family †Cretevaniidae Rasnitsyn, 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily Evanioidea Family †Kotujellidae Rasnitsyn, 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily Evanioidea (later included into Gasteruptiidae Ashmead, 1900)Rasnitsyn AP (1991) Early Cretaceous members of the evaniomorphan hymenopteran families Stigmaphronidae, Cretevaniidae, and subfamily Kotujellitinae (Gasteruptiidae). Paleontologicheskiy Zhurnal 1991(4): 128–132 [In Russian, with English translation in Paleontological Journal, 1991, 25(4): 172–179]. Family †Anomopterellidae Rasnitsyn, 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily Evanioidea Family †Baissidae Rasnitsyn, 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily Evanioidea (later was included into Aulacidae Schuckard, 1841)Rasnitsyn AP (1980) On the system of the family Aulacidae (Hymenoptera) in connection with a new record in the Lower Cretaceous of Manlay. Trudy Sovmestnoy Sovetsko-Mongol’skoy Paleontologicheskoy Ekspeditsii 13: 65–67 [In Russian]. [Kalugina NS, editor (1980) The Early Cretaceous lake Manlay. Trudy Sovmestnoy Sovetsko-Mongol’skoy Paleontologicheskoy Ekspeditsii 13: 1–91]. Family †Ichneumonomimidae Rasnitsyn, 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita. Systematic position uncertain, probably a relative of Ichneumonoidea Family †Angarosphecidae Rasnitsyn, 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily Scolioidea Family †Falsiformicidae Rasnitsyn, 1975 – a Cretaceous family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily Scolioidea Family †Baissodidae Rasnitsyn, 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita Family †Evenkiidae Rasnitsyn, 1977 – a Carboniferous family of the order ProtortopteraRasnitsyn AP (1977) New Paleozoic and Mesozoic insects. Paleontologicheskiy Zhurnal 1977(1): 64–77 [In Russian, with English translation in Paleontological Journal, 1978, 11: 60–72]. Family †Permonkidae Rasnitsyn, 1977 – a family of Miomoptera Family †Palaeomantiscidae Rasnitsyn, 1977 – a family of Miomoptera Family †Karataidae Rasnitsyn, 1977 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera ApocritaRasnitsyn AP (1977) New Hymenoptera from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of Asia. Paleontologicheskiy Zhurnal 1977(3): 98–108 [In Russian, with English translation in Paleontological Journal, 1978, 11: 349–357]. Family †Electrotomidae Rasnitsyn, 1977 – a family of Tenthredinoidea from Baltic amberRasnitsyn AP (1977) A new family of sawflies (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinoidea, Electrotomidae) from the Baltic amber. Zoologicheskiy Zhurnal 56(9): 1304–1308 [In Russian, with English summary]. Family †Praeichneumonidae Rasnitsyn, 1983 – a Lower Cretaceous family of the superfamily IchneumonoideaRasnitsyn A.P. Ichneumonoidea (Hymenoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia // Contrib. Amer. Entomol. Inst. 1983. V. 20. P. 259–265. Family †Strashilidae Rasnitsyn, 1992 – a family of Mecopteroidea. Hypothetical ancestors of AnopluraRasnitsyn A.P. Strashila incredibilis, a new enigmatic mecopteroid insect with possible siphonapteran affinities from the Upper Jurassic of Siberia // Psyche. 1992. V. 99. № 4. P. 323–333. Family †Saurodectidae Rasnitsyn et Zherikhin, 2000 – a Mesozoic family of MallophagaRasnitsyn A.P., Zherikhin V.V. First fossil chewing louse from the Lower Cretaceous of Baissa, Transbaikalia (Insecta, Pediculida = Phthiriaptera, Saurodectidae fam. n.) // Rus. Entomol. J. 2000. V. 8. № 4. P. 253–255. Family †Andreneliidae Rasnitsyn et Martinez-Delclos, 2000 – a family of Hymenoptera Apocrita of the superfamily EvanioideaRasnitsyn A.P., Martinez-Delclos X. Wasps (Insecta: Vespida = Hymenoptera) from the Early Cretaceous of Spain // Acta Geol. Hispanica. 2000. V. 35. № 1–2. P. 65–95. Family †Tshekarcephalidae Novokshonov et Rasnitsyn, 2000 – a Paleozoic family of uncertain systematic positionNovokshonov V.G., Rasnitsyn A.P. A new enigmatic group of insects (Psocidea, Tshekarcephalidae) from Tshekarda (Lower Permian of the Middle Urals) // Paleontol. J. 2000. V. 34. Suppl. 3. P. S284–S287. Family †Daohugoidae Rasnitsyn et Zhang, 2004 – a family of Hymenoptera Symphyta of the superfamily SiricoideaRasnitsyn A.P., Zhang Haichun. A new family, Daohugoidae fam. n., of siricomorph hymenopteran (Hymenoptera = Vespida) from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou in Inner Mongolia (China) // Proc. Rus. Entomol. Soc. 2004. V. 75 № 1. P. 12–16. Family †Khutelchalcididae Rasnitsyn, Basibuyuk et Quicke, 2004 – a family of Chalcidoidea Family †Radiophronidae Ortega-Blanco, Rasnitsyn et Delclos, 2010 – a Mesozoic family of CeraphronoideaOrtega-Blanco J, Rasnitsyn A.P., Delclos X. A new family of ceraphronoid wasps from Early Cretaceous Alava Amber, Spain // Acta Palaeontol. Polonica. 2010. V. 55. № 2. P. 265–276. Subfamily †Archexyelinae Rsan., 1964 – a subfamily of Xyelidae Newman, 1834Rasnitsyn AP (1964) New Triassic Hymenoptera of the middle Asia. Paleontologicheskiy Zhurnal 1964(1): 88–96 [In Russian]. Subfamily †Dolichostigmatinae Rasnitsyn, 1968 – a subfamily of Anaxyelidae Martynov., 1925 Subfamily †Karatavitinae Rasnitsyn, 1968 –a subfamily of Karatavitidae Rasnitsyn, 1963