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, 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 Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

s. Gaige was born in

Bad Axe, Michigan Bad Axe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Huron County, Michigan, Huron County in the Thumb region of the Lower Peninsula. The population was 3,129 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, making it the largest co ...

, and studied at the University of Michigan with

Frank Nelson Blanchard Frank Nelson Blanchard (December 19, 1888 – September 21, 1937) was an Americans, American Herpetology, herpetologist, and professor of zoology at the University of Michigan from which institution he received his Ph.D. He is credited with descri ...

, under professor Alexander Grant Ruthven. 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 An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the ichthyological and herpetological periodical '' Copeia'', and wrote extensively on Central American

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...

and

reptiles Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the Class (biology), class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsid, sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, Squamata, squamates (lizar ...

. 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, 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 In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s named after her, including '' Atractus gaigeae'', '' Dipsas gaigeae'', '' Epicrates cenchria gaigeae'', ''

Lepidophyma gaigeae ''Lepidophyma gaigeae'', also known commonly as Gaige's tropical night lizard and ''la lagartija nocturna de Gaige'' in Mexican Spanish, is a small species of lizard in the family Xantusiidae. The species is native to eastern Mexico. Etymolog ...

'', '' Plestiodon multivirgatus gaigeae'', '' Podarcis gaigeae'', '' Pristimantis gaigei'', '' Rhadinaea gaigeae'', '' 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 h ...

'', '' Sphenomorphus helenae'', and '' Trachemys gaigeae''.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 language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

in 1928. She was married to

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

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 Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...

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