(Photo courtesy of the Norwegian entomological society)
Andreas Strand was born in Haugesund on June 11, 1895 and died in Oslo on February 8, 1980.
Strand moved to Oslo in 1917 and worked at the government Telegraph Board as an office manager responsible for foreign affairs. He retired in 1962.
Strand was interested in insects since his student years. Early in his entomological career he built up a collection of Palaearctic Carabus. This collection was subsequently transferred to the Museum of Zoology, Lund University. Later Strand focused on northern beetles, particularly those from northern Norway. Strand published about 120 papers and described 49 new species. His collection included about 80,000 specimens representing more than 4600 species. In 1977 Strand donated his collection to Bergen Museum, but all his type specimens are deposited in our museum.
References:
Løken, A. (1980) Scandinavian entomologists 7 � Andreas Strand. Entomologica Scandinavica, 11, 343-347.
Smetana, A. & Herman, L. (2001) Brief history of taxonomic studies of the Staphylinidae including biographical sketches of the investigators. In: Herman, L. Catalog of the Staphylinidae (Insecta: Coleoptera). 1758 to the end of the second millenium. I. Introduction, history, biographical sketches, and omaliine group. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 265(1), 17-159.
Sundt, E. (1980) Dr. philos. h. c. Andreas Strand. Fauna norvegica. Ser. B., 47, 1-2.
Sømme, L. (2004) Entomologiens historie i Norge. Norsk entomologisk forening 1904-2004. Oslo: Norsk entomologisk forening, 326 pp.
Last updated: April 15, 2009