Christophe Avon : Laboratory of Entomology Hypogean and Endogean Fauna Director
Course C. Avon was born in Nice (France) in1967. Whereas it was eleven years old, his father, director of a cabinet of drawing indutriel, took it along to the Exhibition centre of Nice in order to make him discover the natural history of the Birds. But he found a book of Entomology there ! Then, during all its childhood, the interest that C. Avon carried to Entomology did not contradict but was however in competition with the intense hobby which he tested for the Art painting !
His interest for Speleology pushed he to enter in1987, on the French Alpine Club or he will found several new caves declared today in the CDS 06 (French Speleological Comity Dep. 06). After his acceptance at the Société Entomologique de France, He met Jean Claude Giordan, then Jean Balazuc and Lucien Genest, all famous researchers who pushed it in the way of Biospeleology. Then returned towards the Sc. Faculty of Nice or he gracefully gave leasons to the students preparing their theses on the study of the cave insects.
He his then famous to be the teaching most interesting autodidact in these fields. In1982, he founded the Laboratory of Entomology Hypogean and Endogean Fauna (L.E.F.H.E.) where he is currently always President. He remains only enquiring autonomous French today studying the Evolution of these so strange insects depths called in this job : "Coleoptera Carabidae Trechinae". C. Avon currently shares its time between France and various countries which shelter this fauna in order to perfect these of New Theories of Evolution.
Important new works on the caves beetles.
New and revolutionary ideas !
In a first time, C. Avon concentrated his studies on a quite particular kind of cave coleopter : the kind Duvalius Delarouzee.
He publishes some articles on the evolution of the "copulatory piecies" (Ontogenesis and phylogenesis) in "L'Entomologiste".
He describes in 1996 in "The LEFHE Reports" his first theory : "Theory of the Segmentary Origin of the Copulatory Organ" in evolutionary biology.
In 1997, he writes his first important revision of French Duvalius and realizes of a quite singular fact : "That the cave insects are eyeless or with eyes in hypogean biotop (underground and darkness), they do not seem to be deranged. This "regressive" character does not seem to harm their survival in a completely darkness biotop. That they have eyes or not, does not change anything ! Then why the major part do not have any more ? Why the natural selection would have privileged the eyeless ?.
In 1998, he commands and writes a part (France) of "TheBiogeographic Atlas" for the french species.
Of these sentences, C. Avon established a new theory : "Theory of Intimists Inhibitors Biotops"(2006) which seems of the highest importance to contribute to the Theory of Evolution.
This union of subjects of all kinds and his personal approach of the theory of Darwin has give to him imagined, very simply, some complex scientific subjects. These studies show the genius of C. Avon to link a research scrupulous Systematic and Cladistic and what he calls of the "wild ideas" so expensive in our olds evolutionnists.
His contribution to the theory of the evolution : Theory of Intimists Inhibitors Biotops. The criticism of C. Avon of the fundamental concepts of the Darwinism is founded on the concept of "Intimists Inhibitors Biotops" and on its assertion of the importance of the Hypogean contingency and other factors in the evolution apart from the adaptive mechanism to the external biotop. His theory of the Intimists Inhibitors Biotops, which he formulates today (2006), poses that these biotops (restricted and completely darkness) imposes on the natural selection a step different from that which operates on the surface.
C. Avon examines the spectacular implications of this interpretation in the context eyeless/darkness then apterism/restricted biotop of his critic of the Darwinien model of the evolution (natural selection). According to him and like precisely pointed out it Stephen Jay Gould : "adhesion in a belief in a single method of selection in evolutionary progress was only the expression of the cultural and political prejudices of the XIXe century". Darwin, Lamarck, and even Dr. Rene Jeannel* until 1960, in particular, were unable to give up their ideas in spite of obvious contradictions with their own theories and of the tearing intellectual fight which they carried out with the existing gaps in the study of the caves organizations (lost eyes), gaps which can be explained if it is considered that only one mechanism of operation for the natural selection. For them, the cave beetles organisms have loose their eyes and wings because they did not need them in this biotops. They qualified them, since and in according to these two only criteria, as being adapted to the caves biotops.
When with the explanation, it was another history...
* Doctor Rene Jeannel : regarded as most important of the authors on the caves coleopters, their classification and their evolution.
Works where Christophe Avon expresses these ideas. 1996: "Duvalius and their evolutionary complex"
"Theory of the Segmentary Origin of the Copulatory Organ"
Biology & Evolution. L.E.F.H.E. reports, 1996. 1997: "First Revision of French Duvalius"
L.E.F.H.E. reports, 1997.
1998:"The Biogeographic Atlas"
L.E.F.H.E. reports, 1998. Easy of access, hundreds of maps !
2006: "New Monograph of Trechinae" Necessary for the biosleleological and
entomological studies ! L.E.F.H.E. reports, 2006. Buy absolutely !
The biography of Christophe Avon
progress was only the expression of the cultural and political prejudices of the XIXe century".
1996: "Duvalius and their evolutionary complex"
1997: "First Revision of French Duvalius"
1998: "The Biogeographic Atlas"