Max Barclay

Maxwell V L Barclay FRES is a British entomologist, and Curator and Collections Manager of Coleoptera and Hemiptera at the Natural History Museum in London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, and a member of the editorial board of The Coleopterist journal. He has been described as ‘one of Britain’s leading entomologists’.

Career
Barclay is one of the four virtual ‘Scientist Guides’ of the Natural History Museum’s new Darwin Centre and was among the group that showed the building to Prince William at its 2009 opening. He is a frequent public speaker and media spokesman for entomology and for the Museum, most notably appearing in three of the six episodes of the 2010 BBC Series Museum of Life presented by Jimmy Doherty. He believes that public speaking is important 'to enthuse the next generation of scientists and naturalists, and to legitimise what we do in the eyes of the public'. In 2016 he gave the Royal Entomological Society's Verrall Lecture speaking on 'Collections: the last great frontiers of exploration'. In 2008 he was involved in the identification of a species of bug new to Britain in the Museum’s garden.

Barclay is best known for his work on beetles (Coleoptera), and is author of scientific papers and co-editor of a text book on the subject. He worked as a volunteer in the Department of Entomology for several years before being offered the post of Curator in 2001. The collection of the Natural History Museum that he manages includes more than 20,000 drawers of beetles, including specimens collected by Joseph Banks, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. He has travelled extensively in search of specimens, including to Bolivia, Peru, Taiwan and Thailand, and has discovered new species.

Recognition
101 beetle taxa have been named in his honour by fellow scientists, including:

Carabidae Hydrophilidae Ptiliidae Staphylinidae Scarabaeidae Cantharidae Heteroceridae Limnichidae Throscidae Eucnemidae Elateridae Ptinidae Dermestidae Scirtidae Psephenidae Buprestidae Lycidae Coccinellidae Helotidae Nitidulidae Latridiidae Aderidae Anthicidae Ischaliidae Tenebrionidae Oedemeridae Cerambycidae Chrysomelidae Anthribidae Rhynchitidae Brentidae Curculionidae
 * Goniotropis barclayi Deuve, 2005
 * Platynus barclayi Schmidt, 2009
 * Orictites barclayi Balkenohl, 2017
 * Brachinus barclayi Hrdlička, 2019
 * Berosus barclayi Ponomarenko & Soriano, 2019 (Upper Eocene fossil)
 * Acrotrichis barclayi Darby, 2014
 * Naddia barclayi Rougemont, 2016
 * Asimos barclayi Chatzimanolis, 2023
 * Loncovilius barclayi Reyes-Hernandez, Kappel Hansen, Jenkins Shaw & Solodovnikov, 2023
 * Ixorida (Pseudomecinonota) barclayi Legrand, 2008
 * Gynaecoserica barclayi Ahrens, 2009
 * Clinterocera barclayi Legrand & Chew, 2010
 * Copris (Sinocopris) barclayi Ochi, 2010
 * Protaetia (Macroprotaetia) maxwelli Jakl, 2011
 * Madecorphnus barclayi Frolov, 2012
 * Bietia barclayi Krajcik, 2012
 * Onthophagus maxwellianus Moretto, 2013
 * Mesomerodon barclayi Seidel, Jameson & Stone, 2017
 * Rhyparus barclayi Ochi et al., 2019
 * Wernoryctes barclayi Takano, 2020
 * Bilga barclayi Lacroix,Coache & Filippi, 2023
 * Themus (Haplothemus) barclayi Svihla, 2006
 * Tropicus maxwelli Skalicky, 2010
 * Phalacrichus max Ribera & Hernando, 2001
 * Trixagus barclayi Kirejtshuk, 2019 (Upper Eocene fossil)
 * Bioxylus barclayi Otto, 2016
 * Athous barclayi Platia, 2010
 * Clada barclayi Zahradník & Trýzna, 2018
 * Orphinus barclayi Hava & Matsumoto, 2021
 * Anthrenus barclayi Háva, 2019
 * Thaumaglossa barclayi Kadej and Háva, 2015
 * Scirtes maxi Yoshitomi & Ruta, 2010
 * Cyphon barclayi Yoshitomi, 2012
 * Falsodrupeus barclayi Lee, 2011
 * Homoeogenus barclayi Lee, 2016
 * Endelus barclayi Kalashian, 2011
 * Aphanisticus barclayi Kalashian & Kubáň, 2014
 * Sphenoptera barclayi Kalashian, 2017
 * Sulabanus barclayi Dvorak & Bocak, 2007
 * Alyculus barclayi Palata & Bocak, 2012
 * Serratibia barclayi Gordon, Canepari & Hanley, 2013
 * Neohelota barclayi Lee, 2015
 * Pocadius barclayi Cline, 2005
 * Cartodere barclayi Rücker, 2012
 * Zarcosia barclayi Gompel, 2020
 * Tomoderus barclayi Telnov, 2005
 * Macratria maxbarclayi Telnov, 2011
 * Ischalia barclayi Young, 2011
 * Eurychora barclayi Ferrer, 2003
 * Amarygmus barclayi Bremer, 2004
 * Pseudopodhomala barclayi Medvedev, 2004
 * Ulomina barclayi Grimm, 2004
 * Enicmosoma barclayi Ferrer, 2005
 * Tauroceras barclayi Ferrer, Soldati & Delatour, 2005
 * Chariotheca barclayi Masumoto 2006
 * Goniadera barclayi Ferrer, 2007
 * Pseudonautes barclayi Ando, 2007
 * Laena barclayi Schawaller, 2009
 * Othryoneus barclayi Ferrer, 2010
 * Phylan barclayi Ferrer, 2010
 * Hexarhopalus (Leprocaulus) barclayi Purchart, 2010
 * Phymatosoma barclayi Masumoto & Akita, 2010
 * Blaps barclayi Martínez-Fernández & Ferrer, 2012
 * Rhyzodina barclayi Ferrer, 2015
 * Stenochinus barclayi Masumoto & Akita, 2019
 * Borbonalia barclayi Masumoto, Novák, Akita & Lee, 2019
 * Toktokkus barclayi Kamiński & Gearner, 2021
 * Nacerdes (Xanthochroa) apicipennis barclayi Svihla, 2011
 * Trypogeus barclayi Vives, 2007
 * Melanesiandra barclayi Santos-Silva, 2011
 * Acutandra barclayi Bouyer, Drumont & Santos-Silva, 2012
 * Colobeutrypanus barclayi Monné & Monné, 2012
 * Clytellus barclayi Miroshnikov, 2014
 * Oncideres barclayi Nearns & Tavakilian, 2015
 * Parandra barclayi Santos-Silva, 2015
 * Triammatus barclayi Jiroux, 2016
 * Saphanodes barclayi Adlbauer, 2016
 * Elydnus barclayi Miroshnikov, 2017
 * Lophobothea barclayi Monné M.A., Monné M.L. & Botero, 2017
 * Dymasius barclayi Miroshnikov, 2018
 * Polyzonus barclayi Skale, 2018
 * Lingafelterellus barclayi Bezark & Santos-Silva, 2023
 * Cyrtonota maxhowardi Sekerka, 2011 (named for Max and his colleague Howard Mendel)
 * Dercetina barclayi Lee & Bezdek, 2013
 * Charaea maxbarclayi Bezdek & Lee, 2014
 * Diabrotica barclayi Derunkov, Prado, Tishechkin & Konstantinov, 2015
 * Doryscus barclayi Lee, 2017
 * Pseudobasidissus barclayi Tryzna & Banar, 2014
 * Gymnognathus barclayi Perger & Guerra, 2016
 * Rubroinvolvulus barclayi Legalov, 2009
 * Stereodermus barclayi Mantilleri, 2004
 * Perapion barclayi Alonso-Zarazaga, 2011 [corrected 2013 from mistyped barkleyi]
 * Maxwelleus Meregalli, 2022
 * Barclayanthus Borovec & Skuhrovec, 2019
 * Eudraces barclayi Borovec & Nakladal, 2018
 * Heisonyx barclayi Borovec, Colonelli & Osella, 2009
 * Larinus barclayi Gültekin & Lyal, 2016
 * Pachycerus barclayi Meregalli, 2009
 * Sphincticraerus barclayi Košťál, 2019
 * Titilayo barclayi Cristovao & Lyal, 2018
 * Tychius barclayi Caldara, 2011

as well as the wasp Platygaster barclayi Buhl, 2011, the fulgorid bug Polydictya barclayi Constant, 2016 and the fossil cockroach Mesoblatta maxi Hinkelman, 2020.

Personal life
Barclay is married with children. As a teenager he worked as a volunteer at the Durrell Wildlife Park and he cites Gerald Durrell as a significant influence.