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History and Publications of Clayton W. McCoy, Jr <PHOTO>
Clayton (Clay) William McCoy Jr., 75, of Winter Park, Florida, passed
away October 4th, 2013, in Orlando, Florida. He was born in Rochester,
Minnesota, on June 22nd, 1938, and grew up on the family farm in Fairfax,
Minnesota. He received a BS degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in
1960, an M.A. in Entomology from the University of Nebraska in 1963, and a
Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of California at Riverside in
1967. His thesis is entitled " Biosystematic and field studies of two parasites of the Muscidifurax
raptor complex (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) with particular reference to
sex determination." Clay
joined the Society for Invertebrate Pathology in 1970 as a full member and
retained membership for more than three decades. He was among a very close
group of graduate school classmates at UC Riverside in the sixties that
included Pat Vail, Charles Reichelderfer, Ken Hunter, and others, all of whom
made major contributions to the fields of insect pathology and insect
microbial control. = = = = = =
= = = = = After graduating from UC
Riverside, Clay moved to the USDA citrus laboratory in central Florida and
initiated his research on the citrus rust mite. After five years at the USDA,
Clay began a long and successful career as a faculty researcher at the
University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences’ Citrus
Research & Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred, Florida. He was the
first recipient of the University of Florida’s CREC’s Distinguished
Professorship in Research and Education. Clay retired from this position in
2005 after a 33-year career in research and education. Clay’s special areas
of focus were integrated pest management (IPM) and the biological control of
citrus pests. His initial research
program in Florida was directed at managing the citrus rust mite within a
developing citrus IPM program. In concert with researchers at Abbott
Laboratories, with lab director Terry Couch, Clay pioneered the development
of Mycar, the first commercial mycopathogen registered for use in the U.S.
against arthropod hosts. Clay’s research program on Mycar involved studies
that addressed fungal nutrition, biphasic production and formulation of
inoculum, and application technologies and strategies. Clay received numerous
awards and recognition in his career, including a United States Patent in
1994 for a bio-pesticide derived from a fungus and a USDA Honor Award (the
agency’s highest recognition for outstanding contributions to
agriculture). During this period, Clay developed ties with insect
pathologists, acarologists and biocontrol and citriculture scientists on a
global scale. In addition to the microbial control aspects, basic research on
the fungus led to a systematic analysis of Hirsutella thompsonii
biology and the discovery of the ribotoxin hirsutellin A. In addition to his
landmark achievements in the study of entomopathogenic fungi, Clay also made
notable contributions to the field of entomopathogenic
nematology. Specifically, he contributed substantial original research
to the control of the Diaprepes root weevil – a significant and
costly pest of citrus. He served as the coordinator the Diaprepes
Task force for a number of years – serving the community of citrus growers,
researchers, and students. Clay was instrumental in
developing methods for using entomopathogenic nematodes (particularly Steinernema
riobrave) to control Diaprepes on a commercial
level. Clay’s research focused on optimization of application parameters
(such as rates, equipment, and formulation). Furthermore, impacting a broader
ecological scope, he elucidated the effects of soil type and interactions
between nematodes and other soil-dwelling organisms in the citrus system. The
outcome was clearly one of the greatest success stories for using nematodes
as biocontrol agents. His work still serves as the basis for Diaprepes
pest management today. During his scientific career, Clay authored or
co-authored more than 200 scientific papers, book chapters, and books. In
addition to his contributions to the Society for Invertebrate Pathology
(SIP), Clay was an active member of the Entomological Society of America and
the Florida Entomological Society, for which he served as president in 1984.
He served as a co-organizer of the 1987 SIP meeting in Gainesville, Florida,
and for many years, he served as host and local arrangements chair for S-135
and its subsequent iterations in Orlando. Clay’s research and
teaching took him to all corners of the globe, whether to present at
scientific conferences or to provide consultation to citrus growers and
government institutions. However, he felt the most gratifying aspect of his
career was his interaction with his colleagues, post-doctoral fellows,
graduate students, and research staff. In his retirement, Clay
co-authored the book Pathogens Infecting Insects & Mites of Citrus with
colleagues Robert A. Samson, Drion G. Boucias, Lance S. Osborne, Jorge E.
Peña, and Lyle J. Buss. He also demonstrated his love for the University
of Florida Gators, rarely missing a football or basketball game, and he
especially enjoyed walks with his dogs. The balance of his
retirement involved traveling and spending time with family and friends. On
August 24th, just six weeks prior to his death, Clay and his wife Lynne
celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family and friends who came
from all over the U.S. and the world to celebrate with them. His friends and
colleagues will miss his generosity, kindness, and omnipresent smile. = = = = = = = = = = Publications [Additional references may be found at: MELVYL Library] Duncan, L W; McCoy, C W. 1996.
Vertical distribution in soil, persistence, and efficacy against
citrus root weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) of two species of entomogenous
nematodes (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae; Heterorhabditidae). Environ. Entomol., v.25, n.1, (1996):
174-178. Duncan, L W; Dunn, D C; McCoy, C W. 1996a. Spatial patterns of entomopathogenic nematodes in microcosms: Implications for laboratory experiments. J. of Nematology, v.28, n.2, (1996): 252-258. Duncan, L W; McCoy, C W; Terranova, A
C. 1996b. Estimating sample size and persistence entomogenous nematodes
in sandy soils and their efficacy against the larvae of Diaprepes abbreviatus
in Florida. J. of Nematology, v.28,
n.1, (1996): 56-67. McCoy, C W. 1996. Pathogens of
eriophyoid mites. Lindquist, E. E.,
M. W. Sabelis and J. Bruin (Ed.). World Crop Pests, Vol. 6. Eriophyoid mites: Their biology, natural enemies and
control. xxxii+790p. Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.: Amsterdam,
Netherlands; New York, New York, USA. ISBN 0-444-88628-1. 1996. p. 481-490. McCoy, C. W., R. A. Samson, D. G.
Boucias, L. S. Osborne, J. E. Peña & L. J. Buss. 2009.
Pathogens Infecting Insects & Mites of Citrus. LLC Friends of Microbes, Winter Park,
FL. 193 p. Omoto, Celso; McCoy, Clayton W. 1998.
Toxicity of purified fungal toxin hirsutellin A to the citrus rust
mite Phyllocoptrura oleivora
(Ash.). J. of Invertebrate
Pathology, v.72, n.3, (1998. Nov.): 319-322. Quintela, E D; McCoy, C W. 1997.
Pathogenicity enhancement of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria
bassiana to first instars of Diaprepes abbreviatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
with sublethal doses of imidacloprid.
Environ. Entomol., v.26, n.5, (1997): 1173-1182. Quintela, E D; McCoy, C W. 1998.
Synergistic effect of imidacloprid and two entomopathogenic fungi on
the behavior and survival of larvae of Diaprepes abbreviatus (Coleoptera:
Curculionidae) in soil. J. of
Economic Entomol., v.91, n.1, (1998): 110-122. Quintela, Eliane D.; McCoy, Clayton
W. 1998. Conidial attachment of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria
bassiana to the larval cuticle of Diaprepes abbreviatus (Coleoptera:
Curculionidae) treated with imidacloprid.
J. of Invertebrate Pathology, v.72, n.3, (1998. Nov.): 220-230. Tigano-Milani, M S; Carneiro, R G; De
Faria, M R; Frazao, H S; McCoy, C W.
1995. Isozyme characterization
and pathogenicity of Paecilomyces fumosoroseus and P. lilacinus to Diabrotica
speciosa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and
Meloidogyne javanica (Nematoda: Tylenchidae).Biological Control, v.5,
n.3, (1995): 378-382. |