Roman Borovec on Beppe

One from the biggest authority among weevilologists in Europe (and not only Europe) passed away. He was 85 years old.

Giuseppe (Beppe for all his friends) was something as a father of weevilologists here. Extremely willing and friendly, extremely keen in examination, conspicuously able to motivate all people around him, brilliant collector. In fact, all Italian colleagues, and they are really many, started to work on weevils with him and thanks to him. He supported all of them (us) in literature and material. He even offered them to co-operate on their first published outputs at the start of their careers. For example Beppe figured out a common project of Peritelini study of Tyrrhenian region for two his friends, Belló and Pierotti, and they produced incredible number of articles and they collected incredible amount of material during many years under his auspices.

Our co-operation, many years ago, started when he asked me for identification of edaphic, broad-nosed weevils he collected in Italy and Greece. When I received the first parcel of his material I was really astonished how his material is extensive. Each autumn I got a big parcel with his newly collected and mounted material and each his parcel was for me very fantastic experience, because each year he collected incredibly interesting material, in many cases never collected before him. This material resulted in publication of our joint articles, regarding mainly the Italian fauna. I met him in Italy just after the end of socialism in Czech Republic, when I was able to travel abroad. I spent with him 3 weeks working on his material and mainly collecting together. And, since that time I met him several times in Italy, but he also visited me in Czech Republic, with his wife Margherita. Margherita is very selfless, she was able to accompany him on his trips and she also collected many material, mainly under stones in steppic habitats. I visited him also several times in University when he worked, in L´Aquila. Also in the university he motivated many young studens to work in entomology, and his directions resulted in many articles improving knowledge of Mediterranean weevils.

Beppe was extremely good collector, and mainly, he loved to collect, to work in nature, he spent plenty of time in field trips. In fact, he was first who started to collect in countries as Turkey (Asia minor), or Greece, in many islands around Italy, etc. He collected in countries we had almost no material and no knowledge. He started to collect many groups not collected often before him, he very often sifted terricolous weevils, he collected rare weevils as mountain Dichotrachelus, steppic Peritelini and Trachyphloeini and many others. He was able to identify cossonines and molytines from non-Palaearctic countries and he also published many papers regarding these groups.

University of L´Aquila was his second home. He was really happy there. I remember when I visited him there for the last time, we were sitting in front of university and he said to me he is really happy. He has everything he needs, his favorite work, incredible mountains around, students.