Henry Augustus Pilsbry

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A portrait by Henry Augustus Pilsbry (1914)

Henry Augustus Pilsbry (born December 7, 1862 in Iowa City (Iowa), † October 26, 1957 in Lantana (Florida) ) was an American biologist , malacologist and carcinologist with interests in other scientific areas. For more than half a century he was an extraordinarily present figure in many areas of the invertebrate classification.

The majority of his career was his skill in the classification of major groups of organisms such as barnacles ( Cirripedia ), tunicates ( Tunica ), North American land molluscs and other than unchallenged.

Childhood, youth, education

Pilsbry (often incorrectly pronounced Pilsbury) grew up in Iowa. As a child he was always called "Harry" Pilsbry. At an early stage he showed a lively interest in the mollusks that he could find, although the local range of species was not particularly rich.

Pilsbry studied at the University of Iowa and graduated there in 1882 with a Bachelor of Science.

career

After graduation, Pilsbry did not immediately find work in his area of ​​interest. Instead, he initially worked for publishers and magazines for several years. On the other hand, he devoted his free time to studying molluscs.

In 1887 he finally found a job as a lecturer in New York (City). There he soon met George Washington Tryon . He was the local specialist in molluscs at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and both director and author of the resulting multi-volume Manual of Concology . The meeting resulted in a bond that, after just a few months, resulted in Tryon hiring Pilsbry as an assistant. Tryon was very impressed with the young Pilsbry's skills as a lecturer, his very good knowledge of technical illustration, but most of all his irrepressible interest in the study of molluscs and his amazing expertise in the field.

George Tryon died just three months after Pilsbry started work. To everyone's surprise, his newly hired assistant, who was only 25 years old, was allowed to take on the title of "Conservator of the Conchology Section" and "Editor" of the Manual of Conchology .

But Pilsbry soon shows that he lived up to the high expectations, because his scientific results are remarkable for the amount alone. During the next five years he edited hundreds of detailed pages of the Manual of Conchology . He prepared many of the printing plates himself. He also founded The Nautilus , a malacological journal of repute that will continue into the 21st century. The college where he studied, the University of Iowa , honored him with a Doctor of Science degree in 1899 . He later received two other honorary doctorates: in 1940 from the University of Pennsylvania and in 1941 from Temple University . In 1921 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

During this period he also married Adeline Avery.

For the remainder of the next 57 years, Pilsbry spent virtually all of his time writing scientific papers. He published over 3,000 articles, mostly when he was at the Academy of Natural Sciences. This is why most of his longer articles were published by the Academy. However, the shorter articles were more likely to come out in The Nautilus magazine. As for the publications, he was mostly the sole author of the articles. Nonetheless, there were papers with co-authors or junior authors who were sometimes sponsors rather than scientists.

It is astonishing that Pilsbry not only limited himself to the areas of research that were his main interests, but also moved into other fields of science from geology to paleolontology to the taxonomy of Brachiopoda .

His field work provided him with a steady stream of new species to be studied, dissected, and illustrated. Hence an endless number of species are ascribed to it. Pilsbry named over 5,000 organisms in this way, and the published list of all these species alone was 218 pages. Pilsbry did a tremendous amount of field work, making him an expert in field work of any kind. He collected molluscs from practically all of the United States. But his radius of activity was not limited to the USA, he was also active in a large number of other countries: in Argentina , Australia , the Bahamas , Cocos Islands , Cuba , the Galapagos Islands , Guatemala , the Marquesas Islands , in Mexico , Panama , Peru and other places. He systematically expanded his own skills through cooperation with other specialists. The collaboration with Joseph Bequaert in Africa and with Yoichiro Hirase in Japan should be mentioned in particular .

In late fall 1957, Pilsbry suffered a heart attack while working at the Philadelphia Academy. It appeared that he was recovering from this serious health incident. But that was not the case. He died of a similar attack a month and a half later in his winter home.

Henry Augustus Pilsbry is buried in Bala Cynwyd , Pennsylvania in the cemetery of St. Asaph's Church.

bibliography

Major works: Manual of Conchology

Pilsbry was George Washington Tryon's assistant from 1887 to 1888. After his death (1888) Pilsbry was editor of the multi-volume Manual of Conchology and appears from Volume 12 (1890) on the title page of the Manual of Conchology .

The main articles

  • Pilsbry, HA: May 14, 1889; "New and little known American mollusks, no. I." ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 41 : 81 -89, pl. 3.
  • Pilsbry, HA: February 25, 1890; "New and little known American mollusks, no. II" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 41 : 411 -416, pl. 12.
  • Pilsbry, HA: December 21, 1890; "New and little known American mollusks, no. 3." Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 42 : 296 -302, pl. 5.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1895; "Catalog of the Marine Mollusks of Japan, with Descriptions of New Species, and Notes on Others Collected by Frederick Stearns" ; Detroit: F. Stearns. 196 p. [includes 30 species of modern brachiopods]
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1900; "Mollusca of the Great Smoky Mountains" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 52 : 110 -150.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1900; "Note on Polynesian and East Indian Pupidae" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 52 : 431 -433.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1902; "New land Mollusca from Idaho" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 54 : 593.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1905; "Mollusca of the Southwestern States, I: Urocoptidae; Helicidae of Arizona and New Mexico," Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 57 : 211-290.
  • Pilsbry, HA & Hirase, Y .: 1905; "Catalog of the Land and Fresh Water Molluscs of Taiwan (Formosa), with description of new species" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 57 : 720-752.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1907; "The Barnacles (Cirripedia) Contained in the Collections of the US National Museum" ; Bul. United States National Museum 60 , 122 p.
  • Pilsbry, HA & Ferriss, JH: 1907; "Mollusca of the Ozarkian Fauna," Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 58 : 529-567.
  • Pilsbry, HA & Ferriss, JH: 1910; "Mollusca of the Southwestern States, III: The Huachuca Mountains, Arizona" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 61 : 495-516.
  • Pilsbry, HA & Ferriss, JH: 1910; "Mollusca of the Southwestern States: IV. The Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 62 : 44-147.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1911; Non-marine mollusca of Patagonia . Princeton: The University.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1912; "A study of the variation and zoogeography of Liguus in Florida" ; J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia; 15 (2nd ser.): 429-471.
  • Pilsbry, HA: (1915). "Mollusca of the Southwestern States, VI: The Hacheta Grande, Florida, and Peloncillo Mountains, New Mexico" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 68 : 323-350.
  • Pilsbry, HA & Ferriss, JH: 1915; "Mollusca of the Southwestern States VII: The Dragoon, Mule, Santa Rita, Baboquivari, and Tucson Ranges, Arizona" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 68 : 363-418.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1916; "The Sessile Barnacles (Cirripedia) Contained in the Collections of the US National Museum, including a monograph of the American species" . Bul. United States National Museum 93 : 366.
  • Pilsbry, HA & Ferriss JH: 1917; "Mollusca of the Southwestern States VIII: The Black Range, New Mexico" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 69 : 83-107.
  • Pilsbry, HA & Ferriss, JH: 1919; "Mollusca of the Southwestern States IX: The Santa Catalina, Rincon, Tortillita and Galiuro Mountains. X. The mountains of the Gila headwaters" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 70 : 282-333.
  • Pilsbry, HA & Ferriss, JH: 1923; "Mollusca of the Southwestern States, XI - From the Tucson Range to Ajo, and mountain ranges between the San Padro and Santa Cruz rivers, Arizona" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 75 : 47-103.
  • Pilsbry, HA & Joseph Charles Bequaert | Bequaert, J .: 1927; "The Aquatic Mollusks of the Belgian Congo. With a geographical and ecological account of Congo malacology" ; Bul. United States National Museum 53 : 69-659.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1934; "Zoological Results of the Dolan West China Expedition of 1931, Part II, Mollusks". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 86 : 5-28.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1939; "Land Mollusca of North America north of Mexico" vol. I part 1. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. pp. 1-574.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1940; "Land Mollusca of North America north of Mexico" vol. I part 2. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. pp. 575-994.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1946; "Land Mollusca of North America north of Mexico" vol. II part 1. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. pp. 1-520.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1948; "Land Mollusca of North America north of Mexico" vol. II part 2. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. pp. 521-1113.
  • Pilsbry, HA: 1948; "Inland Mollusks of Northern Mexico. I. The genera Humboldtiana, Sonorella, Oreohelix and Ashmunella" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 100 : 185-203.
  • Pilsbry.HA: 1953; "Inland Mollusca of Northern Mexico. II. Urocoptidae, Pupillidae, Strobilopsidae, Valloniidae, and Cionellidae" ; Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 105 : 133-167.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Baker, HB: "Henry Augustus Pilsbry 1862-1957" ; Nautilus 71 (3): 73-83; 1958; { A major source for this biography .]
  2. ↑ Abbott, RT & Young, ME (eds.): 1973; "American Malacologists: A national register of professional and amateur malacologists and private shell collectors and biographies of early American mollusk workers born between 1618 and 1900" ; American Malacologists, Falls Church, Virginia; Consolidated / Drake Press: Philadelphia, 494 pp.
  3. ↑ Pilsbry, HA: 1907; "The Barnacles (Cirripedia) Contained in the Collections of the US National Museum" ; Bul. United States National Museum 60, 122 p.
  4. ↑ Pilsbry, HA: 1916; "The Sessile Barnacles (Cirripedia) Contained in the Collections of the US National Museum, including a monograph of the American species" ; Bul. United States National Museum 93, 366 p.
  5. ↑ Pilsbry, HA: 1892; "Manual of Conchology; structural and systematic. Vol. XIV. Polyplacophora (chitons). Lepidopleuridae, Ischnochitonidae, Chitonidae, Mopaliidae" ; Philadelphia. 350 pp.
  6. ↑ Pilsbry, HA: 1893; "Manual of Conchology; structural and systematic. Vol. XV. Polyplacophora, (chitons.) Acanthochitidae, Cryptoplacidae and appendix. Tectibranchiata" ; Philadelphia. 436 pp.
  7. ^ Pilsbry, HA: "Land Mollusca of North America north of Mexico" , Vol. I part 1. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, pp. 1-574; 1939.
  8. ^ Pilsbry, HA: "Land Mollusca of North America north of Mexico" , Vol. I part 2nd Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia. pp. 575-994; 1940.
  9. ↑ Pilsbry, HA: Land Mollusca of North America north of Mexico , Vol. II part 1. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, pp. 1-520; 1946.
  10. ↑ Pilsbry, HA: 1948; "Land Mollusca of North America north of Mexico" ; Vol. II part 2. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, pp. 521-1113.
  11. ↑ Leal, JH: 2006; "Celebrating a long life: The Nautilus turns 120!" ; Nautilus 120 (1): 1-7.
  12. ↑ Pilsbry, HA: 1897; "Geology of the Mussel-Bearing Clays of Fish-House, New Jersey" ; Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 48: 567-570.
  13. ↑ Pilsbry, HA: In: Wanner, HE; 1921; "Some Faunal Remains from the Triassic of York County, Pennsylvania. Mollusks" ; Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 73: 25-37.
  14. ↑ Pilsbry, HA: 1895; "Catalog of the Marine Mollusks of Japan, with Descriptions of New Species, and Notes on Others Collected by Frederick Stearns" ; Detroit: F. Stearns. 196 p. [includes 30 species of modern brachiopods]
  15. ↑ Clench, WJ & Turner, RD: 1962; "New names introduced by HA Pilsbry in the Mollusca and Crustacea" ; Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Special Pub. No. 4, 218 pp.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Pilsbry, Henry Augustus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American biologist, zoologist, malacologist, and carciologist
DATE OF BIRTH December 7, 1862
PLACE OF BIRTH Iowa City (Iowa)
DATE OF DEATH October 26, 1957
Place of death Lantana (Florida)