Antonio Berlese

Antonio Berlese ( born June 26, 1863 in Padua, † October 24, 1927 in Florence ) was an Italian entomologist.

Berlese examined mainly the pests of fruit trees. He has published over 300 articles and the book Gli insetti loro organizzazione, sviluppo, abitudini e con l' uomo Rapporti ( in two volumes, 1904 and 1923).

Berlese invented the Berlesetrichter, a widely used instrument for the automatic reading of soil insects and other soil organisms.

A funnel (E) containing the soil sample (D). A heat source ( F ), such as a light bulb (G ) heats the soil sample. The soil organisms are trying to escape the dehydration and the light and walk down. Finally, they fall through a filter ( C) in the with a preservative fluid (A) filled collection container (B).

The storage of the soil substrate sample (D) is left only schematically shown in the picture: In general, the sample is not crumbled and poured into the funnel, but set as a whole on a foraminous support, which is to reduce the proportion of soil substrate in the receiver ( B).

This type of extraction is commonly referred to by the Erstbeschreibern as Berlese or Tullgrentrichter. Berlese funnel method described in 1905, with warming caused by a hot water jacket, Albert led Tullgren 1918, the heating from above with an incandescent one. Since the expulsion was under an incandescent lamp is widely accepted, the apparatus is now called Berlese - Tullgren funnel.

After Berlese also a type is named by hydrous embedding media for microscopic examination of Kleinarthropoden, the usual except for the proportion of chloral hydrate and gum arabic, the absence of glycerol indicates that is here replaced by acetic acid and glucose. According to recent studies, Berlese, however, has not used this type, but a glyzerinhaltiges medium according to Hoyer for his microscopic preparations.