Ethelwynn Trewavas (5 November 1900 – 16 August 1993) was an ichthyologist at the
British Museum of Natural History
The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum ...
. She was known for her work on the families Cichlidae and
Sciaenidae
Sciaenidae are a family of fish in the order Acanthuriformes. They are commonly called drums or croakers in reference to the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make. The family consists of about 286 to 298 species in about 66 to 70 gene ...
. She worked with
Charles Tate Regan
Charles Tate Regan FRS (1 February 1878 – 12 January 1943) was a British ichthyologist, working mainly around the beginning of the 20th century. He did extensive work on fish classification schemes.
Born in Sherborne, Dorset, he was educat ...
, another ichthyologist and
taxonomist
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are give ...
.
Academic studies and career
She received her
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
and Board of Education Certificate in Teaching in 1921 from
Reading University
The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...
Freshwater Biological Association
The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) is an independent scientific organisation founded in 1929 in Cumbria by Felix Eugen Fritsch, William Harold Pearsall, Francis Balfour-Browne, and Robert Gurney among others. Whilst originally created to ...
. She met Charles Regan and was employed by him as his assistant until hired by the British Museum (Natural History) as Assistant Keeper in 1935. She was appointed Deputy Keeper of Zoology in 1958, and retired in 1961.
She served as the senior scientist in the Fish Section of the British Museum (Natural History) for almost 50 years, and was known internationally as an authority on several diverse groups of fishes. She was best known for her work describing
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
n
Rift lake
A rift lake is a lake formed as a result of subsidence related to movement on faults within a rift zone, an area of extensional tectonics in the continental crust. They are often found within rift valleys and may be very deep. Rift lakes may be ...
cichlids, but she published extensively on other groups as well. She used laboratory study and extended field trips to research her current areas of study, and often relied on interviews with local people to understand the behaviours, forms and food potential of fishes.
One example of the influence of Regan and Trewavas is that of the currently named
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
categories of
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.
It is the fifth largest fr ...
mbuna, two are attributed to Regan and six to Trewavas. Of the '' Haplochromis sensu lato'' in the lake, five were described by Regan and twenty-seven by Trewavas, either individually or in partnership with David Eccles.
Later in life she mentored prominent researcher
Ad Konings
Adrianus Franciscus Johannes Marinus Maria "Ad" Konings (born 11 January 1956 in Roosendaal, Netherlands) is an ichthyologist originally trained in medicine and biology. Konings is best known for his research on African rift lake cichlids. Afte ...
, who has continued many of her areas of study. When her eyesight failed she insisted that he accept her stereo microscope as a gift so he could continue her work with African cichlids.
Trewavas died in Reading on 16 August 1993.
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...
in 1968, and elected as a Fellow ( honoris causa) of the society in 1991. She was elected an Honorary Foreign Member of the
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) is an international learned society devoted to the scientific studies of ichthyology (study of fish) and herpetology (study of reptiles and amphibians). The primary emphases of the ...
in 1946, and awarded an honorary
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...
Many fellow ichthyologists honoured Trewavas by naming newly discovered
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
after her. Even during her lifetime, more fish species had received the specific epithet ''trewavasae'' ("of Trewavas") or ''ethelwynnae'' ("of Ethelwynn") than were named after most other modern fish researchers, underscoring the importance of her contribution to the field:
* The Deepsea Dragonfish '' Eustomias trewavasae''
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
Poll
Poll, polled, or polling may refer to:
Figurative head counts
* Poll, a formal election
** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts
** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions
** Polling places o ...
, 1948
* ''
Symphurus trewavasae
''Symphurus'' is a genus of fish in the family Cynoglossidae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Most species mainly occur in relatively shallow water, including estuaries. Some species are also found in deeper water, including '' ...
Labeotropheus trewavasae
The scrapermouth mbuna (''Labeotropheus trewavasae'') is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi where it prefers areas with rocky substrates. This species can reach a length of TL. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade. It ...
Menon Menon may refer to:
People
*Menon (subcaste), an honorary title accorded to some members of the Nair community of Kerala, southern India; used as a surname by many holders of the title
Surnamed
*Menon (surname), the surname of several people
Give ...
, 1958
* ''
Neolebias trewavasae
''Neolebias'' is a genus of small Distichodontidae, distichodontid freshwater fishes found in Africa.
Species
There currently 11 recognized species:
* ''Neolebias ansorgii'' George Albert Boulenger, Boulenger, 1912
* ''Neolebias axelrodi'' M ...
''
Poll
Poll, polled, or polling may refer to:
Figurative head counts
* Poll, a formal election
** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts
** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions
** Polling places o ...
Rhynchoconger trewavasae
''Rhynchoconger trewavasae'' is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).Ben-Tuvia, 1993
* ''
Trewavasia carinata
''Trewavasia carinata'' is an extinct pycnodontid fish in the family Coccodontidae that lived during the lower Cenomanian of what is now Lebanon. It had a large, forward-pointing horn-like spine between its eyes, and a massive stump-like spine e ...
'' Davis, 1887
After her death, the memory of her contributions remained.
Posthumous
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death
* ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987
* ''Posthumous'' ...
Konings Konings is a Dutch surname and may refer to:
* Ad Konings (b. 1956), Dutch ichthyologist
* Anthony Konings (1821–1884), Dutch Catholic priest and Redemptorist professor
* Jean Konings (1886–1974), Belgian sprinter
*Giovanni Matteo Konin ...