Mr Alessandro Giusti

Mr Alessandro Giusti

Senior Curator, Lepidoptera

Department: Life Sciences
Division: LS Insects Division
Specialisms: Insects, Lepidoptera
Team: Alberto Zilli, Alessandro Giusti, Blanca Huertas Specialisms: Curation of Insect Collections, Lepidoptera in the families Sphingidae, Limacodidae & Lasiocampidae.

Summary

I am a curator in the Insects Division and I am responsible for the curation of parts of the Lepidoptera collections.

My current projects are:

- Re-curation of the Sphingidae (Hawkmoths) collection (in collaboration with Dr Ian Kitching).

- Re-curation of the Lasiocampidae (Eggars, Lappets, etc.) collection.

- Re-curation of the Limacodidae (Slug moths) collection.

This last task is virtually completed and we now have 263 accession size drawers with fully labelled and databased Limacodidae, covering a total of about 1550 species.

Other tasks I am involved with are:

identifying, transferring and labelling specimens, recording them into our database, answering queries made to our section about certain species of Lepidoptera. I also look after visitors who come to our Museum from other institutions to study a particular group of Lepidoptera. Sometimes I supervise students who are here on work experience, volunteers who offer invaluable help. Occasionally I go out on fieldwork to collect new specimens and to conferences and workshops to share knowledge and learn new work procedures.

Qualifications

    Degrees

  • BSc (Hons) in Natural Sciences, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences of the University of Florence, Italy
  • Diploma in Agricultural Sciences, ISTITUTO TECNICO AGRARIO STATALE. LEOPOLDO II DI LORENA., Grosseto, Italy

Editorships

Editorial assistant, Lepidoptera Italica, Natura Edizioni Scientifiche, 2016 - on going.

Publications

Nässig WA, Naumann S, Giusti A (2020) A new species of the species-group of Actias maenas from South India: Actias keralana sp. n. (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). Nachrichten des Entomologischen Vereins Apollo (N.F.), 41 (1/2) : 41 - 50.

St Laurent RA, Giusti A (2019) Revision ofZaphantaDyar, 1910 (Lepidoptera: Mimallonidae: Zaphantinae), with descriptions of nine new species. Journal of Natural History, 53 (19-20) : 1209 - 1246. doi: 10.1080/00222933.2019.1634772

LAURENT RAS, GIUSTI A, MIELKE CGC (null) The identity of Cicinnus orthane Blanchard, 1852 (Lepidoptera, Mimallonidae, Cicinninae), type species of Cicinnus Blanchard, 1852. Zootaxa, 4450 (2) : 275 - 275. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4450.2.6

Mosconi F, Luiselli L, Amori G, Giusti A, Zilli A (2018) A moth survey of La Maddalena Archipelago National Park (Sardinia), In: Lepidoptera Research in Areas with High Biodiversity Potential in Italy. Volume 2, Zilli A (Eds). Natura Edizioni Scientifiche : Bologna. 419 - 447.

Solovyev AV, Giusti A (2018) Revision of the genus Scopelodes Westwood, 1841 (Lepidoptera, Limacodidae) with description of 16 new species. Insect Systematics & Evolution, 49 (5) : 520 - 581. doi: 10.1163/1876312x-00002181

St laurent R, Giusti A, Herbin D (2017) Revision of the genus Biterolfa Schaus, 1928 (Mimallonoidea: Mimallonidae) with the descriptions of two new species. TROPICAL LEPIDOPTERA RESEARCH, 27 (2) : 86 - 95.

GARNER BH, GIUSTI A, KERLEY MD (2011) Conservation of Insect Specimens Affected by Verdigris. NatSCA News, 21 : 50 - 59.

Krell FK, Ross E, GIUSTI A, Krell-Westerwalbesloh S, EGGLETON P (2010) Comparison of leaf litter and litter plus upper soil extractions in assessing forest floor macroinvetebrate fauna. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine, 146 : 71 - 82.

GIUSTI A (2007) Records of Planeustomus flavicollis Fauvel (Staphylinidae) and Eutheia formicetorum Reitter (Scydmaenidae) from the New Forest. The Coleopterist, 16 :

EGGLETON P, VANBERGEN AJ, JONES DT, LAMBERT MC, ROCKETT C, HAMMOND PM, BECCALONI J, MARRIOTT D, ROSS E, GIUSTI A (2005) Assemblages of soil macrofauna across a Scottish land-use intensification gradient: influences of habitat quality, heterogeneity and area. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42 (6) : 1153 - 1164. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01090.x

Krell F-T, Chung AYC, DeBoise E, Eggleton P, Giusti A, Inward K, Krell-Westerwalbesloh S (2005) Quantitative extraction of macro-invertebrates from temperate and tropical leaf litter and soil: efficiency and time-dependent taxonomic biases of the Winkler extraction. Pedobiologia, 49 (2) : 175 - 186. doi: 10.1016/j.pedobi.2004.10.005

Invited and keynote speaker

Invited speaker, Reading Lepidoptera Wings, BENHS Annual General Meeting, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford, United Kingdom, 19/3/2015.

Introduction

Summary

I am a curator in the Insects Division and I am responsible for the curation of parts of the Lepidoptera collections.

My current projects are:

- Re-curation of the Sphingidae (Hawkmoths) collection (in collaboration with Dr Ian Kitching).

- Re-curation of the Lasiocampidae (Eggars, Lappets, etc.) collection.

- Re-curation of the Limacodidae (Slug moths) collection.

This last task is virtually completed and we now have 263 accession size drawers with fully labelled and databased Limacodidae, covering a total of about 1550 species.

Other tasks I am involved with are:

identifying, transferring and labelling specimens, recording them into our database, answering queries made to our section about certain species of Lepidoptera. I also look after visitors who come to our Museum from other institutions to study a particular group of Lepidoptera. Sometimes I supervise students who are here on work experience, volunteers who offer invaluable help. Occasionally I go out on fieldwork to collect new specimens and to conferences and workshops to share knowledge and learn new work procedures.

Qualifications

    Degrees

  • BSc (Hons) in Natural Sciences, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences of the University of Florence, Italy
  • Diploma in Agricultural Sciences, ISTITUTO TECNICO AGRARIO STATALE. LEOPOLDO II DI LORENA., Grosseto, Italy
Professional activities

Editorships

Editorial assistant, Lepidoptera Italica, Natura Edizioni Scientifiche, 2016 - on going.

Publications

Publications

Nässig WA, Naumann S, Giusti A (2020) A new species of the species-group of Actias maenas from South India: Actias keralana sp. n. (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). Nachrichten des Entomologischen Vereins Apollo (N.F.), 41 (1/2) : 41 - 50.

St Laurent RA, Giusti A (2019) Revision ofZaphantaDyar, 1910 (Lepidoptera: Mimallonidae: Zaphantinae), with descriptions of nine new species. Journal of Natural History, 53 (19-20) : 1209 - 1246. doi: 10.1080/00222933.2019.1634772

LAURENT RAS, GIUSTI A, MIELKE CGC (null) The identity of Cicinnus orthane Blanchard, 1852 (Lepidoptera, Mimallonidae, Cicinninae), type species of Cicinnus Blanchard, 1852. Zootaxa, 4450 (2) : 275 - 275. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4450.2.6

Mosconi F, Luiselli L, Amori G, Giusti A, Zilli A (2018) A moth survey of La Maddalena Archipelago National Park (Sardinia), In: Lepidoptera Research in Areas with High Biodiversity Potential in Italy. Volume 2, Zilli A (Eds). Natura Edizioni Scientifiche : Bologna. 419 - 447.

Solovyev AV, Giusti A (2018) Revision of the genus Scopelodes Westwood, 1841 (Lepidoptera, Limacodidae) with description of 16 new species. Insect Systematics & Evolution, 49 (5) : 520 - 581. doi: 10.1163/1876312x-00002181

St laurent R, Giusti A, Herbin D (2017) Revision of the genus Biterolfa Schaus, 1928 (Mimallonoidea: Mimallonidae) with the descriptions of two new species. TROPICAL LEPIDOPTERA RESEARCH, 27 (2) : 86 - 95.

GARNER BH, GIUSTI A, KERLEY MD (2011) Conservation of Insect Specimens Affected by Verdigris. NatSCA News, 21 : 50 - 59.

Krell FK, Ross E, GIUSTI A, Krell-Westerwalbesloh S, EGGLETON P (2010) Comparison of leaf litter and litter plus upper soil extractions in assessing forest floor macroinvetebrate fauna. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine, 146 : 71 - 82.

GIUSTI A (2007) Records of Planeustomus flavicollis Fauvel (Staphylinidae) and Eutheia formicetorum Reitter (Scydmaenidae) from the New Forest. The Coleopterist, 16 :

EGGLETON P, VANBERGEN AJ, JONES DT, LAMBERT MC, ROCKETT C, HAMMOND PM, BECCALONI J, MARRIOTT D, ROSS E, GIUSTI A (2005) Assemblages of soil macrofauna across a Scottish land-use intensification gradient: influences of habitat quality, heterogeneity and area. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42 (6) : 1153 - 1164. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01090.x

Krell F-T, Chung AYC, DeBoise E, Eggleton P, Giusti A, Inward K, Krell-Westerwalbesloh S (2005) Quantitative extraction of macro-invertebrates from temperate and tropical leaf litter and soil: efficiency and time-dependent taxonomic biases of the Winkler extraction. Pedobiologia, 49 (2) : 175 - 186. doi: 10.1016/j.pedobi.2004.10.005

Impact and outreach

Invited and keynote speaker

Invited speaker, Reading Lepidoptera Wings, BENHS Annual General Meeting, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford, United Kingdom, 19/3/2015.