Seth Eugene Meek

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Seth Eugene Meek

Seth Eugene Meek (born April 1, 1859 in Hicksville , Ohio , † July 6, 1914 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an American ichthyologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. He was considered one of the leading specialists in ichthyo- and herpetofauna in North America of his time.

life and work

Meek was of Welsh descent and grew up on a farm. After graduating from high school, he spent four semesters at Valparaiso University , Indiana . In 1884 Meek graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science. In 1886 he obtained his master’s degree and in 1891 his Ph.D. at the same institution. From 1885 to 1886 Meek received a fellowship from Cornell University , Ithaca , NY . Since his graduation, Meek worked intermittently as an assistant to the United States Fish Commission and led expeditions to Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian Territory. In December 1886 he married Ella Tourner. From January 1887 to January 1988 Meek taught at Eureka College and from January 1888 to February 1892 at Coe College. In 1892 he was appointed assistant professor and curator in the Department of Biology and Geology at the Arkansas Industrial University (now the University of Arkansas ) in Fayetteville . In 1897 he became a curator at the Field Museum of Natural History, where he remained until his death.

Meek was a student of David Starr Jordan and he worked frequently with Charles Henry Gilbert . During an excursion to the Ozark Mountains in 1884, they discovered the new species of fish Etheostoma nianguae , which is endemic to the Osage River basin .

Meek wrote numerous scientific articles on reptiles and fish, including the first extensive works on the freshwater fish fauna of Mexico and Panama. The latter was created in collaboration with his assistant Samuel Frederick Hildebrand (1883–1949).

Dedication names

Several fish taxas are named after Meek, including the fire- mouth cichlid ( Thorichthys meeki ), Allotoca meeki , Ariosoma meeki , Atherinella meeki , Brycon meeki , Cyprinodon meeki , Macrhybopsis meeki , Hyporhamphus meeki , Priacanthus meeki and Peeimelodella .

Works (selection)

  • The fishes of the Cayuga Lake basin, 1888
  • Report of explorations made in Missouri and Arkansas during 1889, with an account of the fishes observed in each of the river basins examined, 1891
  • A catalog of the fishes of Arkansas, 1894
  • Report of investigations respecting the fishes of Arkansas, conducted during 1891, 1892 and 1893 with a synopsis of previous explorations in the same state, 1895
  • The Fresh-Water Fishes of Mexico North of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, 1904
  • Notes on batrachians and reptiles from the islands north of Venezuela, 1910
  • An Annotated list of fishes known to occur in the fresh waters of Costa Rica, 1914
  • The Fishes of the Fresh Waters of Panama, 1916 (posthumously with Samuel Frederick Hildebrand)
  • The marine fishes of Panama, 1923 (posthumously with Samuel Frederick Hildebrand)

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Meek, Seth Eugene
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Meek, Seth E.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American ichthyologist
DATE OF BIRTH April 1, 1859
PLACE OF BIRTH Hicksville , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 1914
Place of death Chicago , Illinois