Alexei Klimenko
(17.01.1970 – 23.06.2017)
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I do not want to say any general words, but the Russian entomology took a heavy loss today. Alexei Klimenko died. He was only 47 years old. He was my friend and partner in business in the company “Russian Insects” for about 30 years. Alexei was a talented entomologist, a highly educated scientist. Insects, particularly beetles, were the passion of his entire life. Alexei was an excellent systematic. Classifying insects for him was not just his job, but brought him a lot of happiness. He discovered many new species of beetles and wrote lots of articles, He collected many insects which were later described by other scientists as new species. Unfortunately, Alex was unable to finish the main work of his life – a book about Melolonthinae. He did not finish describing several new species of this group. Expeditions were another interest of Alexei. He drove all around central Asia in former USSR territories. After the collapse of the USSR, Alexei traveled to many countries in the South-East of Asia, the middle east, and Africa. His last expedition to Borneo and Indonesia was extremely successful. His last expedition was to Thailand. The heavy conditions of the expedition effected his health. On June 23rd Alexei died of a heart attack far away from his homeland. Alexei’s death is a loss which can never be replaced. We will remember Alexei as a very kind person who was devoted to science and greatly loved nature. Dr. Ilya Osipov |
