Ralph H. Hopping (April 8, 1868, New York City – October 29, 1941) was an American-born Canadian

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

Coleoptera Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

(beetles and weevils).

Biography

Hopping was born in New York City. From an early age he collected and studied insects, especially Coleoptera. In 1891, he relocated with his father, George W. Hopping, to California. In 1905, Ralph entered the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

. In 1912, he held the post of Forest Entomologist, and was based in San Francisco. In 1919, he was offered, and accepted, the post of Entomologist-in-Charge at the Vernon Laboratory in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. He remained at Vernon until he retired in 1939, with the title of Senior Agricultural Scientist. He was a member of several learned societies, including the

California Academy of Sciences The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, California, that is among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 46 million specimens. The Academy began in 1853 ...

(from 1913), the Pacific Coast Entomological Society, and the Entomological Society of British Columbia. He collected, and described, numerous species of beetle. He directed his energies not simply towards scientific inquiry, but especially towards control of

bark beetle A bark beetle is the common name for the subfamily of beetles Scolytinae. Previously, this was considered a distinct family (Scolytidae), but is now understood to be a specialized clade of the "true weevil" family (Curculionidae). Although the ...

s; a notorious pest in the Canadian forestry industry. In 1948, his widow, Eltha Edwards, donated his beetle collection to the Entomology Department of the California Academy of Sciences. His son, G. R. Hopping, was an entomologist also.

Taxa described

* '' Clytus canadensis'' (1928) * '' Judolia swainei'' (1922) * '' Leptura sequoiae'' (1934) * '' Ortholeptura obscura'' (1928); see '' Ortholeptura'' * '' Phymatodes fulgidus'' (1928) * '' Pissodes terminalis'' (date unknown); see '' Pissodes'' * '' Pidonia quadrata'' (1931) * '' Xylotrechus bowditchi'' (1928) * '' Xylotrechus robustus'' (1941)

Taxa named in honor

* '' Atimia hoppingi'' ( Linsley, 1939); see Atimiini * '' Callidium hoppingi'' (Linsley, 1957) * ''

Pseudopilema hoppingi ''Pseudopilema hoppingi'' is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns, are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. Most species are char ...

'' (

Van Dyke Van Dyke, VanDyke or Vandyke is an Americanized or anglicized form of the Dutch language, Dutch-language toponymic surname ''Van Dijk'', ''Van Dijke'', ''Van Dijck'', or ''Van Dyck (surname), Van Dyck''. Meaning living near the dike. Van Dyke, Van ...

, 1920)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopping, Ralph 1868 births Scientists from New York City 1941 deaths Place of death missing American entomologists Canadian entomologists American emigrants to Canada