Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige (November 24, 1890 – October 24, 1976) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...

, curator of Reptiles and Amphibians for the Museum of Zoology at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, and a specialist in neotropical

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

s. Gaige was born in Bad Axe, Michigan, and studied at the University of Michigan with Frank Nelson Blanchard, under professor

Alexander Grant Ruthven Alexander Grant Ruthven (April 1, 1882 – January 19, 1971) was a herpetologist, zoologist and the President of the University of Michigan from 1929 to 1951. Biography Alexander Grant Ruthven was born in 1882 in Hull, Iowa. He graduated from ...

. From 1910 until 1923 she was an assistant curator of reptiles and amphibians for the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan. In 1923 she became curator of amphibians. In 1928, she co-authored ''The Herpetology of Michigan'' with Ruthven. In 1937 she became editor in chief of the ichthyological and herpetological periodical ''

Copeia ''Ichthyology & Herpetology'' (formerly ''Copeia'') is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in ichthyology and herpetology that was originally named after Edward Drinker Cope, a prominent American researcher in these fiel ...

'', and wrote extensively on Central American amphibians and reptiles. Her research chiefly concerned the geographical distribution, habitats, and life histories of amphibians. In 1917 she discovered the salamander genus ''

Rhyacotriton The torrent salamanders or Cascade salamanders are a family of salamanders (Rhyacotritonidae) with only one genus, ''Rhyacotriton''. The torrent salamanders are endemic to the United States in the Pacific Northwest (including northwestern Calif ...

','' which would later be divided into four distinct species. She also assisted in organizing 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 ...

, of which she was named honorary president in 1946. She is further honored by having several

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 ...

and subspecies of reptiles named after her, including ''

Atractus gaigeae ''Atractus gaigeae'', also known Common name, commonly as Gaige's ground snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Ecuador. Etymology The Specific name (zoology), specific name, ''gaigeae'', is in ...

'', '' Dipsas gaigeae'', '' Epicrates cenchria gaigeae'', '' Lepidophyma gaigeae'', '' Plestiodon multivirgatus gaigeae'', ''

Podarcis gaigeae The Skyros wall lizard (''Podarcis gaigeae'') is a species of lizards in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the islands of Skyros and Piperi, Greece. Subspecies Two subspecies are recognized. The nominotypical subspecies, ''Podar ...

'', ''

Pristimantis gaigei ''Pristimantis gaigei'', also known as the Fort Randolph robber frog or Gaige's rain frog, is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found in the Atlantic drainage lowlands from extreme south-eastern Costa Rica to eastern Panama an ...

'', ''

Rhadinaea gaigeae ''Rhadinaea gaigeae'', also known commonly as Gaige's pine forest snake and ''la hojarasquera de Gaige'' in Mexican Spanish, is a species of snake in the subfamily Dipsadinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Mexico. Etymology ...

'', '' Sceloporus lundelli gaigeae'', ''

Sphaerodactylus gaigeae ''Sphaerodactylus gaigeae'', also known commonly as the chevronated sphaero or Gaige's least gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae . The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. Etymology The specific name, ''gaigeae'', is in ...

'', '' Sphenomorphus helenae'', and ''

Trachemys gaigeae The Big Bend slider (''Trachemys gaigeae''), also called the Mexican Plateau slider, is a species of aquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Taxonomy The species ''Trac ...

''.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Gaige", p. 96; "Helen G.", p. 119). The latter she collected the first specimen of on a trip to the Big Bend region of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

in 1928. She was married to entomologist

Frederick McMahon Gaige Frederick McMahon Gaige (3 July 1890, Ann Arbor – 20 October 1976, Keystone Heights) was an American entomologist and herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the br ...

. In honor of the couple, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists presents its annual Gaige Fund Award, a monetary grant to help a graduate student in the field of herpetology. She died in Gainesville, Florida.

References

Sources

Biographies of People Honored in the Herpetological Nomenclature North America
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060720155614/http://www.asih.org/awards/gaige2.html ASIH Gaige Fund Award*

Marilyn Ogilvie Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie (born 1936) is an American historian of science known especially for her work on the history of women in science. She taught at Oklahoma Baptist University before becoming curator of the History of Science Collections and ...

Joy Harvey Joy Dorothy Harvey (born 1934) is an American historian of science. Life Harvey gained a PhD from Harvard University in 1983. She has been an associate editor of the Darwin Correspondence Project, and written a biography of Clémence Royer, Dar ...

, ''The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: Pioneering Livers from Ancient Times to the Mid-20th Century''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaige, Helen Thompson 1890 births 1976 deaths American herpetologists Women herpetologists University of Michigan alumni University of Michigan faculty 20th-century American zoologists 20th-century American women scientists American women curators American curators