Irena Dworakowska (born 1941) is a Polish

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

who specialized in hemipterology.

Career

She was active at the

Uniwersytet Warszawski The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

, Museum and Institute of Zoology of

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of ...

and

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

in Vancouver.1991 Annual Report. Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. 1992. Dworakowska provided major contributions into

systematics Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: cladograms, phylogenetic tre ...

and

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

of global fauna of

Typhlocybinae Typhlocybinae is a subfamily of insects in the leafhopper family, Cicadellidae. This is currently the second largest leafhopper subfamily based on the number of described species, but researchers believe there are so many taxa yet undescribed th ...

subfamily of

leafhopper A leafhopper is the common name for any species from the family Cicadellidae. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or trees. Their hind legs are modified for jumping, and a ...

s. Publishing since the late 60s she described many genera and species new to the science.Dietrich, CH; Dmitriev, DA (2005). Polyphyletic Origin of the New World Erythroneurini (Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae). I: Abstracts of talks and posters, 12th International Auchenorrhyncha Congress, 6th International Workshop on Leafhoppers and Planthoppers of Economic Significance. University of California, Berkeley.Huang, M; Zhang, Y. A new leafhopper genus Comahadina Huang and Zhang (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae) and a key to genera of Eupteryx-complex. ''Zootaxa'' 2353: 65–68 (2010). In her earlier works she revised difficult genera of the

Western Palaearctic The Western Palaearctic or Western Palearctic is part of the Palaearctic realm, one of the eight biogeographic realms dividing the Earth's surface. Because of its size, the Palaearctic is often divided for convenience into two, with Europe, North ...

such as ''

Eupteryx ''Eupteryx'' is a genus of leafhoppers in the family Cicadellidae. Species Species of ''Eupteryx'' include the following: References Further reading * * Cicadellidae genera Typhlocybini Taxa named by John Curtis {{Cicade ...

'', '' Eurhadina'' and '' Kybos''. Later publications are focused on

Oriental The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

and

Ethiopian region The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...

s. Dworakowska has authored a large number of genera and is known for unusual names she coined, such as ''Yakuza'', ''

Dziwneono ''Dziwneono'' (subfamily:Typhlocybinae) is a genus of Australian leafhoppers, with more than ten undescribed species. It's been described in 1972 by Polish entomologist Irena Dworakowska. The genus name is a biological nomenclature curiosity. ...

'' ( pl: ''it is strange''), ''Kropka'' (pl: ''a dot)'', ''Koperta'' (pl: ''envelope'') or ''Niedoida'' (pl: ''niedojda'' - ''duffer''). As a name authority she is cited as Dworakowska.

Legacy

Two genera have been named in tribute to her: '' Dworakowskaia'' and '' Irenaneura''.

References

1941 births Living people Polish entomologists Women entomologists {{Improve categories, date=May 2021