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 Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

, Canada. He remained at

Vernon Vernon may refer to: Places Australia *Vernon County, New South Wales Canada *Vernon, British Columbia, a city *Vernon, Ontario France * Vernon, Ardèche *Vernon, Eure United States * Vernon, Alabama * Vernon, Arizona * Vernon, California * ...

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 18 ...

(from 1913), the Pacific Coast Entomological Society, and the

Entomological Society of British Columbia 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 ...

. 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 t ...

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 ''Clytus canadensis'' is a species of beetle 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 in ...

'' (1928) * ''

Judolia swainei ''Judolia swainei'' is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by Hopping in 1922.Bezark, Larry GA Photographic Catalog of the Cerambycidae of the World. Retrieved on 22 May 2012. References S Beetles described ...

'' (1922) * '' Leptura sequoiae'' (1934) * ''

Ortholeptura obscura ''Ortholeptura obscura'' is a species of flower longhorn in the beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishin ...

'' (1928); see ''

Ortholeptura ''Ortholeptura'' is a genus of beetle 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. ...

'' * '' Phymatodes fulgidus'' (1928) * '' Pissodes terminalis'' (date unknown); see '' Pissodes'' * ''

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

'' (1931) * '' Xylotrechus bowditchi'' (1928) * ''

Xylotrechus robustus ''Xylotrechus robustus'' is a species of beetle 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 ...

'' (1941)

Taxa named in honor

* '' Atimia hoppingi'' ( Linsley, 1939); see

Atimiini Atimiini is a tribe of beetles in the subfamily Spondylidinae, containing the following genera and species:Bezark, Larry GA Photographic Catalog of the Cerambycidae of the World. Retrieved on 22 May 2012. * Genus ''Atimia (genus), Atimia'' ** '' ...

* ''

Callidium hoppingi ''Callidium hoppingi'' is a species of beetle 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 ...

'' (Linsley, 1957) * ''

Pseudopilema hoppingi ''Pseudopilema hoppingi'' is a species of beetle 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 othe ...

'' ( Van Dyke, 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