OBITUARY

Mr. Fasheng Li (1935.7-2021.10)

Mr. Fasheng Li, retired as associate professor of College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University and recognized as an authority taxonomist of Psocodea and Psyllidae from China, died aged 86 from illness at 5:09 pm, October 23, 2021 in Peking University Third Hospital.

Mr. Fasheng Li, who was born in July, 1935 in Qi county, Shanxi Province, China, graduated from Department of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University in 1962. Before he retired in 1995, he was the director of the insect systematics lab and associate professor of Beijing Agricultural University, and the executive director of Beijing Entomological Society. Mr. Fasheng Li devoted himself to the taxonomy of Psocodea and Psylloidea from China, published more than 180 papers and was awarded by the funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in several times. He has named, on his own or in collaboration with others, 3 new superfamilies, 12 new subfamilies, 7 new tribes, 98 new genera, 1471 new species of Psocodea and 3 new families or subfamilies, 29 new genera, 396 new species of superfamily Psylloidea, and finally published two monumental monographs, i.e., Psocoptera from China and Psyllidomorpha from China (both of 1976 pages, published by Science Press, China). All of his achievements have completely changed the backward taxonomic condition of these two groups from China. For more than 50 years, Mr. Fasheng Li has visited more than 400 cities or counties for filed works in 27 provinces, including Tibet, Xinjiang and Yunnan. During this period, he collected more than 250,000 insect specimens that made great contributions to the construction of the Entomological Museum of China Agricultural University.

Mr. Fasheng Li as the leader of project was awarded the second Prize of Science and Technology Progress of Ministry of Agriculture (Classification of Chinese agricultural and forestry insects, 1994) and the second prize of Science and Technology Progress of State Education Commission (Taxonomy of Psocodea from China, 1995). As the main participant of projects, he was awarded the first prize of Ministry of Agriculture for Technical Improvement (Taxonomy of agricultural insecs, 1978), the Second prize of State Education Commission for Scientific and Technological Progress (Taxonomy of Psyllidae from China, 1986), the second prize of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region for Scientific and Technological Progress (Study on insect populations, harm and fauna in Ningxia Desert Steppe, 1996), and the first Prize of Natural Science of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Insects in Hengduan Mountains, 1995). In 1993, he was elected as a State Council Expert for Special Allowance.

Mr. Fasheng Li was highly respected by peers and students as engaging in the teaching and research of insect taxonomy, general entomology and agricultural entomology for a long time. Mr. Fasheng Li devoted his whole life to these great causes. We will remember him forever!

The Funeral Committee for Mr. Fasheng Li
October 26, 2021
(Translated and modified from the Chinese obituary by Xingyue Liu and Leran Cao)