Tomáš Lackner – A career dedicated to clown beetles

Who is Tomáš Lackner?

Tomáš Lackner was born in Košice, what was then Eastern Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia. His passion for biology was sparked early – by the age of six, he was already fascinated with aquarium fish. But his true love for beetles was ignited when he was 12, during a summer camp in the north-eastern corner of Slovakia. A scientist there introduced him to the world of beetles, and Tomáš was immediately hooked. He began building his own collection and reached out to specialists for identification.

Due to political circumstances, Tomáš couldn't initially study his favorite subject, so he found himself working at a zoological museum of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands without a science degree. However, realizing that entomology was his true calling, he pursued it relentlessly, eventually moving to Japan to complete his Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD. Afterward, Tomáš worked as a post-doc in Prague and spent several years in Munich. Today, he serves as an entomological curator and senior research assistant at the entomological collection of ETH Zurich.

What’s so special about clown beetles?

Tomáš has been collecting clown beetles since he was 18, but identifying insects is no simple task. The available literature often falls short for beginners. Tomáš stresses the importance of mentorship in entomology, crediting a specialist he contacted in his youth with strengthening his interest. This mentor, Aldo Olexa, generously shared his knowledge, and the more Tomáš learned about clown beetles, the more he became fascinated by them.

"They're very adaptable," Tomáš notes at the start of his explanation. “Most clown beetles are predators, hunting larvae of various insect species, including bark beetles and flies. Some species even live in the nests of other animals – snakes, termites, birds, mammals, and even tortoises! Their behavioral diversity and adaptability raise many questions that are still unanswered. We don’t fully understand their diet yet – some species even feed on fungi! And there’s much more to learn about their life cycles and larval stages.”

Tomáš is particularly intrigued by how clown beetles evolved and adapted to such varied environments. His goal is to discover whether their ancestors emerged in open spaces or forests. Using clown beetle fossils preserved in amber, some nearly 100 million years old, he studies their ancient morphology. Paired with DNA samples from modern species, he’s working on constructing the phylogenetic tree of this fascinating group of beetles.

Fun fact: Clown beetles got their name due to their flattened tibiae resembling wide clown trousers.

How are insects named?

One of the most rewarding experiences in biology is getting to name a gene, organism, or pathway after yourself or something meaningful. For example, many diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s are named after the physicians who first identified them. In the world of genes, scientists sometimes get creative with names, like "Pikachurin" or "Sonic Hedgehog."

When it comes to naming insects, Tomáš follows a more scientific and traditional approach. The key is to ensure thorough research, confirming that the insect is unique to avoid the issue of synonymy (one organism receiving two names) – something that unfortunately happens quite often in taxonomy. He suggests several approaches to naming: describing a new feature of the insect in Latin (such as Procoryphaeus pilosus, as pilosus means hairy or bearing bristles), using the location where it was discovered (for example, a species found in Iran could be named persicus), or honouring an entomologist who collected the specimen or is an expert in the field (e.g., a recently discovered wasp species, Apenesia harrisi, named after Anthony Harris for his expertise on wasps).

The newly identified species must be clearly distinguished from its relatives, and taxonomists provide evidence to support this, typically through detailed photos, microscope images, and illustrations. In Europe, Latin names are more commonly used, but in some Asian countries where Latin and Greek are not widely taught, insects are often named after the collector. Some species even carry names in local languages. A fun example is Jentozkus and Tohlezkus, meaning “just try this” and “just try that” in Czech!

The most exciting expedition of Tomáš

Being an insect collector often means traveling to remote and unexplored regions, a perk of the job that Tomáš thoroughly enjoys. Of all the expeditions he's been part of, the one to the Indonesian province of Papua (New Guinea Island) stands out the most. His first trip there took him deep into the island's interior, where, to avoid malaria, the team stayed at high elevations while collecting previously undiscovered insect species. Tomáš feels incredibly fortunate to have participated in that expedition, especially considering how difficult it is today to obtain government permits for such research. Despite collecting numerous unidentified species, the challenge lies in the fact that there are very few experts globally who can accurately classify them. Nevertheless, Tomáš has sent specimens to specialists worldwide, making significant contributions to the field of entomology.

What’s Tomáš’s daily life like?

Tomas oversees accurately identifying beetles, consulting with specialists, and ensuring proper taxonomy and nomenclature. To achieve precise identification, he relies on tools like stereomicroscopes and scanning electron microscopes. Additionally, he continues to create illustrations to emphasize key features of the insects and collaborates with photographers to capture detailed shots for scientific publications. Many (young) collectors frequently reach out to Tomáš for help with correctly identifying their collections. He stresses that maintaining contact with a specialist is essential for truly understanding insects. Tomáš also advises aspiring entomologists to start young and focus on a small group of insects to build expertise.