Obituary

Prof. Samiran Chakrabarti (1946–2025)

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Samiran Chakrabarti, an eminent zoologist, aphidologist, and acarologist of international repute, who left us forever on 18th July 2025 (Friday).

Prof. Chakrabarti was born on 5th January 1946, in Chittagong, Bengal Presidency (now in Bangladesh) achieved his B.Sc (Hons.) degree in 1966 and M. Sc. Degree in 1968 both in Zoology from the University of Calcutta, India. He performed his researches on aphids, a group of insects under the supervision of Prof. D. N. Raychaudhuri, a stalwart of entomology of that time and awarded Ph. D. in 1973. He joined the University of Kalyani as a faculty member and served the institution with remarkable dedication for over 38 years, inspiring generations of students and researchers. After his retirement in 2011, he was honored with the prestigious UGC Emeritus Fellowship, a fitting tribute to his academic excellence.

The main topics of research of Prof. Chakrabarti were biosystematics of aphids of the Northwest and western Himalayas and mites, eriophyoids or gall mites of northeast India. In addition, he studied aphid parasitoids and predators, oribatid mites, insects infesting sal plants, ecology of anophelene mosquitoes, mulberry whiteflies and its parasitoids, elaterid and scolytid beetles, biochemical changes in the aphid and eriophyoid galls and their impact on their biology and life cycles.

Prof. Chakrabarti was Principal Investigator of 16 major research projects funded by the UGC, CSIR, DST, INSA, ICAR, MoEFCC, India. Under his able mentorship, 34 students earned their Ph.D. degrees. He was a prolific author published 15 books, monographs and book chapters besides publishing 265 research papers. Prof. Chakrabarti discovered nearly 255 new species, erected 18 new genera, and recorded nearly 117 species new to India. He discovered 70 gall inducing aphids from the Himalayas for the first time and explored biology of a few such species from Joshimath (Garhwal Himalayas) field station established by himself during 1981- 2007. His legacy is further immortalized through two aphid genera—Chakrabartiaphis and Chakrabartiella—named in his honor by scientists from France and the USA, along with numerous species bearing his name. Besides, several new species were named after his name by scientists from India and abroad to honour his contribution in taxonomy.

Prof. Chakrabarti received many awards and recognitions from different organizations. Some of them were: S.P. Basu Medal (1975) from the Zoological Society, Kolkata; UNESCO Fellowship (1978–79) to work at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences; Visiting Young Scientist from Whilhem-Pieck Universitat Rostock (1979); Delegation of INSA (1981) for attending aphid symposium in Poland; Member of the Indo-Czech Cultural Exchange Programme (1985); Visitorships from the British Council (1985 and 1990) for research work at the Natural History Museum (London) and the University of East Anglia, UK; Visiting Scientist, USDA, Maryland, USA (1990); Award of Honour from the Aphidological Society of India (1994); Recipient of "Plaque" (2010) from Tylor & Francis Publishers and the International Journal of Acarology for sustained research on eriophyoid mites; Visiting Professor (2013) from Nanjing Agricultural University and Nanning Agricultural University, China; Biodiversity Excellence Award (2015) from Science and Environment Foundation at the North Bengal University; Lifetime Achievement Award (2019) and Rao Sahib Dr. T.V. Ramakrishna Ayyar Award (2020) for commendable contribution in taxonomy of insects and mites from the B.V. David Foundation; Felicitated as an "Eminent Aphidologist" (2022) during the 11th International Symposium on Aphids held in Poland; Lifetime Achievement Award (2024) by the Entomological Society of India, New Delhi for contribution on insect taxonomy and a few more.

Prof. Chakrabarti attended many national and international symposia and conferences in India and abroad, delivered keynote addresses and lead lectures, and also chaired many sessions. He also served as a member of many scientific committees. He visited many countries (Asia, Australia, Europe, North America) on academic assignments.

Prof. Chakrabarti was a Fellow of five Learned Societies besides member of another five societies. He also served as the President and Vice President of the Aphidological Society of India; Vice President of the Acarological Society of India and the Zoological Society, Kolkata. He was also associated with many scientific journals as a member of the editorial board or serving as reviewer.

Prof. Chakrabarti was not only successful as a researcher, but also established himself as a popular teacher and research guide. His passing leaves an irreplaceable void in the field of Indian entomology and zoological sciences. He is survived by his disciples and countless admirers in India and around the world.

Collected and Revised by

Bidhan Chandra Das

Formerly Professor, Dept. of Zoology,

University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh.