Robin John Tillyard

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Robin John Tillyard.

Robin John Tillyard , also Robin Tillyard, (born January 31, 1881 in Norwich / England , † January 13, 1937 ) was an Australian entomologist and paleontologist.

Life

Tillyard studied mathematics and science with a BA from the University of Cambridge ( Queens' College ) in 1903 as one of the best in his class ( senior optime in mathematics). He then studied theology and oriental languages, but gave up his plan to become a theologian and emigrated to Australia in 1904, where he taught mathematics and science at the Sydney Grammar School . In 1913 he began a research scholarship at the University of Sydney to study biology with a bachelor's degree in 1914. In the same year, his career was interrupted by a serious injury in a railroad accident, from which he retained a back problem. In 1915 he became a Linnean Macleay Fellow at the University of Sydney and in 1917 a lecturer . In 1920 he became head of the biology department at the Cawthron Institute in Nelson (New Zealand) . The invitation was made primarily because his knowledge of aquatic insects was known and success in clearing up the salmon decline was hoped for. In 1928 he was appointed first chairman of the newly created Department of Economic Entomology at CSIRO in Canberra and its chief entomologist, largely due to his success and experience in controlling insects. However, his focus on biological pest control did not bring rapid success and there were also problems in staff management, so that he was increasingly isolated in his position. In 1934 he resigned for health reasons and retired. However, he remained scientifically active after his health recovered and also worked in the USA.

He was primarily a taxonomist with a keen interest in paleo-entomology. In 1917 he published The Biology of Dragonflies and in 1916 The Insects of Australia and New Zealand , which became the standard work on Australian entomology for over 50 years. He published much on Odonata , Plecoptera , Neuroptera, and other orders, as well as extinct insects , wing veins of insects, and the phylogeny of insects. He also dealt with biological pest control. In particular, he had success in New Zealand in combating apple aphid with the aphid wasp, which had already been used successfully in France. He managed to find some important fossil insect finds. Among other things, he examined fossil insects from the Permian of Elmo (Kansas) . He is the first to describe the fossil insect genus Triassoblatta TILLYARD, which can be assigned to the Blattodea , 1919 with the type species Triassoblatta typica TILLYARD, 1919 from the Triassic of Queensland in Australia.

In 1909 he married Patricia Cruske, with whom he had four daughters.

He was Associate Editor of the Australian National Review and on the Council of Canberra University College.

Honors

The Royal Society of New South Wales awarded him the Clarke Medal in 1931 and the Linnean Society of London in 1917 the Crisp Prize. He also received the Trueman Wood Medal of the Royal Society of Arts and Science, the Mueller Medal (1935) and the RM Johnston Memorial Medal of the Royal Society of Tasmania. In 1925 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society . In 1920 he received a D.Sc. Cambridge University and Sydney University in 1918. In 1928 he became an Honorary Fellow of Queens' College, Cambridge.

Fonts

  • Description of the Fossil Insects. In: RJ Tillyard et al. B. Dunstan: Mesozoic and Tertiary Insects of Queensland and New South Wales. With 6 text figures and 9 plates. Queensland Geological Survey Publication no. 253., Brisbane 1916, pp. 11-63 Archives
  • The Biology of Dragonflies (Odonata or Paraneuroptera) , Cambridge 1917 Archives
  • Mesozoic Insects of Queensland. No. 6 Blattoidea. In: The Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 44, Sydney 1919, pp. 358-382 Archives
  • Mesozoic Insects of Queensland. No. 7 Hemiptera Homoptera; with a note on the phylogeny of the suborder In: The Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 44, Sydney 1920, pp. 857-896 Archive
  • The Insects of Australia and New Zealand, Sydney: Angus and Robertson 1926
  • with Edgeworth David : Memoir on Fossils of the late Pre-Cambrian, 1936

literature

  • AD Imms: Robin John Tillyard. 1881-1937 , Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society 2 (6), 1938, pp. 339-326
  • KR Norris, DF Waterhouse: Tillyard, Robin John (1881-1937) , Dictionary of Australian Biography, Online

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Tillyard, Robin John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian entomologist
DATE OF BIRTH January 31, 1881
PLACE OF BIRTH Norwich , England
DATE OF DEATH January 13, 1937