If you are not scared with this somewhat frightening bearded face, come in!

(This photo was taken in the January '95. I suppose, in the years of the "cold war" the face alone could be used to scare "Western" people with the attached slogan "Russians are incoming!". Later in 1995 I bought the Sony camcorder. When I have seen myself on the video records, I've  got scared with my terrible beard and immediately changed it's shape:-).

Well, after you've took a look at me, let me introduce myself.

I do live in Russia, in the Saratov-city, which is situated on the right bank of the great river Volga.

I'm 39, married and have a 13-years old son (look at "My family" page). I have MS in Biology. My speciality is systematics of butterflies. Each summer I spend about two months in far collecting expeditions. Picture to the left shows me with one of the main trophies of my expedition to the East Sayan Mtns. in the 1994 - a good series of Erebia erinnyn, one of the rarest species of Erebia on the planet (there are also series of Erebia magdalena and E. mackinleyensis in the same drawer). I have described several new taxa of butterflies - look through my publications.

Unfortunately, after graduating of University it was impossible to find a museum' or University' employment here according to my interests. You know, probably - crush of Communism era in USSR has caused the strong economical collapse. In such conditions our science has no government support, especially such non-applying branches like zoological systematics. So I have started my own small home-based insect business since 1990 in order to keep my family and to have funds for my research work.

Besides my business and scientific activity I like too many things: reading (favorite books are science fiction and fantasy), computers and computer games, of course, the Internet, the active outdoors family recreation, music (one of the most favorite kinds of music is the Dire Straits, which I call "the rock for the grown-old teenagers", and I begun to love the classic music recently - also the sign of my age?). Unfortunately, I almost have no spare time for all mentioned things...

 
 

© 1998  Alexei G. Belik.