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.
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.
One of the world’s leading paleoentomologists, Rasnitsyn has described ca. 250 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 Rasn., 1983 – a suborder of butterflies with the family Eolepidopterigidae Rasn., 1983Suborder †Aneuretopsychina Rasnitsyn et Kozlov, 1990 – a suborder of Mecoptera with the family Aneuretopsychidae Rasnitsyn et Kozlov, 1990Superfamily †Karatavitoidea Rasn., 1963 – a Mesozoic superfamily of the infraorder Orussomorpha Newman, 1834 with the family Karatavitidae Rasn., 1963Superfamily †Bethylonymoidea Rasn., 1975 – a Mesozoic superfamily of Hymenoptera Apocrita with the family Bethylonymidae Rasn., 1975. The ancestor group of Aculeata.Family †Parapamphiliidae Rasn., 1968 – later was included into Sepulcidae Rasn., 1968 as the subfamily Parapamphiliinae Rasn., 1968Family †Xyelydidae Rasn., 1968 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Symphyta from the superfamily PamphilioideaFamily †Gigasiricidae Rasn., 1968 – a Jurassic family of Hymenoptera Symphyta from the superfamily SiricoideaFamily †Xyelotomidae Rasn., 1968 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Symphyta from the superfamily TenthredinoideaFamily †Pararchexyelydae Rasn., 1968 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera SymphytaFamily †Praeaulacidae Rasn., 1972 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily EvanioideaFamily †Maimetshidae Rasn., 1975 – a Cretaceous family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily CeraphronoideaFamily †Cretevaniidae Rasn., 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily EvanioideaFamily †Kotujellidae Rasn., 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily Evanioidea (later included into Gasteruptiidae Ashmead, 1900)Family †Anomopterellidae Rasn., 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily EvanioideaFamily †Baissidae Rasn., 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily Evanioidea (later was included into Aulacidae Schuckard, 1841)Family †Ichneumonomimidae Rasn., 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita. Systematic position uncertain, probably a relative of IchneumonoideaFamily †Angarosphecidae Rasn., 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily ScolioideaFamily †Falsiformicidae Rasn., 1975 – a Cretaceous family of Hymenoptera Apocrita from the superfamily ScolioideaFamily †Baissodidae Rasn., 1975 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera ApocritaFamily †Evenkiidae Rasn., 1977 – a Carboniferous family of the order ProtortopteraFamily †Permonkidae Rasn., 1977 – a family of MiomopteraFamily †Palaeomantiscidae Rasn., 1977 – a family of MiomopteraFamily †Karataidae Rasn., 1977 – a Mesozoic family of Hymenoptera ApocritaFamily †Electrotomidae Rasn., 1977 – a family of Tenthredinoidea from Baltic amberFamily †Praeichneumonidae Rasn., 1983 – a Lower Cretaceous family of the superfamily IchneumonoideaFamily †Strashilidae Rasnitsyn, 1992 – a family of Mecopteroidea. Hypothetical ancestors of AnopluraFamily †Saurodectidae Rasnitsyn et Zherikhin, 2000 – a Mesozoic family of MallophagaFamily †Andreneliidae Rasnitsyn et Martinez-Delclos, 2000 – a family of Hymenoptera Apocrita of the superfamily EvanioideaFamily †Tshekarcephalidae Novokshonov et Rasnitsyn, 2000 – a Paleozoic family of uncertain systematic positionFamily †Daohugoidae Rasn. et Zhang Haichun, 2004 – a family of Hymenoptera Symphyta of the superfamily SiricoideaFamily †Khutelchalcididae Rasnitsyn, Basibuyuk et Quicke, 2004 – a family of ChalcidoideaFamily †Radiophronidae Ortega-Blanco, Rasnitsyn et Delclos, 2010 – a Mesozoic family of CeraphronoideaSubfamily †Archexyelinae Rsan., 1964 – a subfamily of Xyelidae Newman, 1834Subfamily †Dolichostigmatinae Rasn., 1968 – a subfamily of Anaxyelidae Martynov., 1925Subfamily †Karatavitinae Rasn., 1968 –a subfamily of Karatavitidae Rasn., 1963Subfamily †Sepulcinae Rasn., 1968 – was described as a subfamily of Karatavitidae Rasn., 1963, later was raised to the family rank, Sepulcidae Rasn., 1968Subfamily †Auliscinae Rasn., 1968 – a subfamily of Karatavitidae Rasn., 1963Subfamily †Praesiricinae Rasn., 1968 – was described as a subfamily of Karatavitidae Rasn., 1963, later was raised to the family rank, Praesiricidae Rasn. 1968Subfamily †Madygellinae Rasn., 1969 – a subfamily of Xyelidae Newman, 1834Subfamily †Cleistogastrinae Rasn., 1975 – a subfamily of Megalyridae Schletterer, 1889Subfamily Proscoliinae Rasn., 1977 – a recent subfamily of ScoliidaeSubfamily †Juralydinae Rasn., 1977 – a subfamily ofPamphiliidae Cameron, 1890Subfamily †Mesorussinae Rasn., 1977 – a subfamily of Orussidae Mewman, 1834Subfamily †Cretogonalinae Rasn., 1977 – a subfamily of Trigonalidae Cresson, 1867Subfamily †Manlayinae Rasn., 1986 – a subfamily of Aulacidae Schuckard, 1841Subfamily †Ghilarellinae Rasn., 1986 – a subfamily of Sepulcidae Rasn., 1968Subfamily †Trematothoracinae Rasn., 1986 – a subfamily of Sepulcidae Rasn., 1968Subfamily †Priorvespinae Carpenter et Rasnitsyn, 1990 – a subfamily of Vespidae Latrielle, 1802Subfamily †Archaeoscoliinae Rasnitsyn, 1993 – a subfamily of ScoliidaeSubfamily †Karataoserphinae Rasnitsyn, 1994 – a subfamily of Mesoserphidae Kozlov, 1970Subfamily †Iscopininae Rasnitsyn, 1980 – a subfamily of Pelecinidae Haliday, 1840.Tribe †Angaridyelini Rasn., 1966 – a tribe of the subfamily Macroxyelinae Ashmead, 1898 of the family XyelidaeTribe †Cretodinapsini Rasn., 1977 – a tribe of the subfamily Megalyrinae of the family MegalyridaeTribe †Gigantoxyelini Rasn., 1969 – a tribe of the subfamily Macroxyelinae Ashmead, 1898 of the family Xyelidae Newmann, 1834A.P. Rasnitsyn has also described ca. 250 new genera and over 800 new species of arthropods, mainly fossil.
Animal names in honor of Alexandr Rasnitsyn
Over 50 species of animals have been named in honor of Rasnitsyn, as well as some taxa of higher rank:
Rasnicynipidae Kovalev, 1996 (a replacement name for Rasnitsyniidae Kovalev, 1994)— a fossil family of Cynipoidea with the genus Rasnicynips Kovalev, 1996 (a replacement name for Rasnitsynia Kovalev 1994)Alexarasniidae Gorochov, 2011 — a fossil family of Polyneoptera with the genus Alexarasnia Gorochov, 2011Alexrasnitsyniidae Prokop & Nel, 2011 — a family of the Paleozoic order Diaphanopterodea with the genus Alexrasnitsynia Prokop & Nel, 2011Plumalexiidae Brothers, 2011 — a fossil family of Hymenoptera with the species Plumalexius rasnitsyni Brothers, 2011Rasnitsynaphididae Homan & Wegierek, 2011 — a fossil family of Aphidoidea with the species Rasnitsynaphis Homan & Wegierek, 2011Rasnitsynitini Kasparyan, 1994 — a tribe of the fossil subfamily Townesitinae of the family Ichneumonidae with the genus Rasnitsynites Kasparyan, 1994Rasnitsynella Krivolutzkii, 1976 — a fossil genus of AcarinaRasnitsynia Pagliano et Scaramozzino 1989 (a replacement name for Oligoneuroides Zhang 1985) — a fossil genus of BraconidaeRasnitsynitilla Lelej, 2006 — a genus of MutillidaeAlicodoxa rasnitsyni Emeljanov et Shcherbakov, 2011 — fossil genus and species of Fulgoroidea of the family DictyopharidaePalerasnitsynus Wichard, Ross et Ross, 2011 — a fossil genus of Trichoptera of the family PsychomyiidaeRasnitsynala Zessin, Brauckmann et Groening, 2011 — a genus of Odonata from the family ErasipteridaeA.P. Rasnitsyn is an author of more than 300 books and articles, including 17 monographs.
Rasnitsyn AP (1969) Origin and evolution of lower Hymenoptera. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta Akademii Nauk SSSR 123: 1–196 [In Russian, with English translation by Amerind Co., New Delhi, 1979].Rasnitsyn AP (1975) Hymenoptera Apocrita of the Mesozoic. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta Akademii Nauk SSSR 147: 1–134 [In Russian].Rasnitsyn AP (1980) Origin and evolution of Hymenoptera. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta Akademii Nauk SSSR 174: 1–192 [In Russian].Rohdendorf BB, Rasnitsyn AP, editors (1980) Historical development of the class Insecta. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta Akademii Nauk SSSR 175: 1–269, +8 pls. [In Russian].Rasnitsyn AP, Quicke DLJ, editors (2002) History of Insects. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, xii+517 pp. ISBN 1-4020-0026-X.Rasnitsyn AP (2005) Selected Works on Evolutionary Biology. KMK Scientific Press, Moscow, Russia, iv+347 pp [In Russian] [Collection of earlier papers, except for: “Dynamics of taxonomic diversity: An afterword of 2004”, pp. 247–248]. ISBN 978-5-87317-454-6Zherikhin VV, Ponomarenko AG, Rasnitsyn AP (2008) Introduction to Palaeoentomology. KMK Scientific Press, Moscow, 371 pp. [In Russian].
