Derek Lott

Derek Lott
Born28 September 1953
Died19 June 2011 (aged 57)
NationalityBritish
Alma materBalliol College Oxford, University of Warwick
Known forColeoptera studies, biodiversity recording
Scientific career
FieldsEntomology
InstitutionsLeicester Museums

Dr Derek Arthur Lott F.E.S. was a British entomologist and museum curator, known for his studies of Coleoptera and biodiversity recording.

Lott was born on 28 September 1953[1] in Middlesex, England.[2] He was educated at Hampton Grammar School and went on to study chemistry at Balliol College, Oxford.[3] After attaining a P.G.C.E. from Warwick University in 1977[3] Lott originally worked as a science teacher, then in 1983 applied for a place on the graduate trainee scheme for Leicester Museums.[3][4] Lott first worked as an assistant Keeper of Entomology at Leicester Museum, rising through promotions to become the Curator of Natural Life in 1999.[3] Lott later ran an entomology-focused consultancy company.[5][6]

Lott's special interest areas in Coleoptera studies were Carabidae (ground beetles), Staphylinidae (rove beetles),[5] water beetles,[5] environmental monitoring[7] and regional recording of species, especially from the U.K. and Ireland.[5] Lott became a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society in the 1980s, as well as a member of the Amateur Entomologists Society and the British Entomological & Natural History Society.[6]

Lott had a personal dataset of 61,366 records, comprising a lifetime of beetle occurrence observations, which he shared with the National Biodiversity Network in 2010.[5][6] The National Biodiversity Network recognised Lott with an honorary fellowship for his dedication to biological recording and the high standards of his work.[6] During his career Lott wrote or contributed to at least 84 natural history papers, a bibliography of which is recorded in Durden (2011).[3]

  1. ^ Groll, Eckhard K (13 January 2016). "Biographies of the Entomologists of the World: Lott, Derek A". Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Derek A Lott in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007". ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e Durden, Lance A (Autumn 2011). "Derek A. Lott (1953-2011) Coleopterist and Naturalist Extraordinaire" (PDF). Antenna: Bulletin of the Royal Entomological Society. 35 (4): 159–162 – via Royal Entomological Society.
  4. ^ "Derek Lott: a Leicester naturalist". rutlandbutterflies.wordpress.com. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Obituary: Derek Lott" (PDF). Invertebrate Conservation News (66). Amateur Entomologist's Society: 13. October 2011.
  6. ^ a b c d "Honorary Member: 21 September 2010: Honorary Membership Award for Derek Lott". National Biodiversity Network. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  7. ^ Eyre, Michael D; Lott, Derek A; Garside, Adam (14 June 1996). "Assessing the potential for environmental monitoring using ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) with riverside and Scottish data". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 33 (1): 157–163. JSTOR 23735415 – via JSTOR.