Roberto Donoso-Barros (October 5, 1921 – August 2, 1975) was a Chilean botanist, naturalist, and

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 ...

Early life and education

Donoso-Barros was born in Santiago, Chile. He attended the University of Chile in Santiago, earning his M.D. from the school in 1947.

Career

Donoso-Barros joined the faculty of the University of Chile in 1954. In 1965, he became a professor at the

University of Concepción A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. He also worked at the

Universidad de Oriente The University of Oriente Venezuela ( es, Universidad de Oriente Venezuela, links=no, UDO) is one of the most important universities of Venezuela, located in Eastern Venezuela. The university has five campuses that are located in the states of ...

in Venezuela, and at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

in the United States. Donoso-Barros was a prolific herpetological authority in Chile. In 1966, he published ''Reptiles de Chile'' which collected and reported on all lizard species described to date in Chile. Species described by Donoso-Barros include: * '' Garthia penai'' (Donoso-Barros, 1966) * ''Liolaemus brattstroemi'' Donoso-Barros, 1961 – synonym of '' Liolaemus pictus'' * ''Liolaemus ceii'' Donoso-Barros, 1971 – synonym of '' Liolaemus kriegi'' * '' Liolaemus constanzae'' Donoso-Barros, 1961 * '' Liolaemus hellmichi'' Donoso-Barros, 1974 * '' Liolaemus paulinae'' Donoso-Barros, 1961 * '' Liolaemus sarmientoi'' Donoso-Barros, 1973 *'' Gonatodes ceciliae'' Donoso-Barros, 1966 * '' Microlophus atacamensis'' (Donoso-Barros, 1966) * '' Microlophus tarapacensis'' (Donoso-Barros, 1966) *'' Bachia marcelae'' Donoso-Barros & Garrido, 1964 *'' Alsodes vanzolinii'' (Donoso-Barros, 1974) * '' Pristidactylus alvaroi'' (Donoso-Barros, 1974) * '' Pristidactylus valeriae'' (Donoso-Barros, 1974) ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a different

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

Accolades

Donoso-Barros was awarded the Abate Molina Prize by the Chilean Academy of Sciences in 1966. He was also awarded the Atenea Award in 1966 for ''Reptiles de Chile''. A proposed subspecies of '' Chelonoidis chilensis'', ''C. chilensis donosobarrosi'', is named for Donoso-Barros. A species of lizard, '' Liolaemus donosobarrosi'', is named after him.

Personal life

Donoso-Barros had four daughters and one son. His children were the source of some of the specific epithets for species he described, including ''Gonatodes ceciliae'', named for his daughter Cecilia; ''Liolaemus paulinae'', named for his daughter Pauline; ''Pristidactylus valeriae'', named for his daughter Valeria; ''Liolaemus constanzae'', named for his daughter Constanza; and ''Pristidactylus alvaroi'', named for his son Álvaro. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Pristidactylus alvaroi'', p. 7; ''Gonatodes ceciliae'', p. 50; ''Liolaemus constanzae'', p. 58; ''Liolaemus donosobarrosi'', p. 74; ''Liolaemus paulinae'', p. 202; ''Pristidactylus valeriae'', p. 271). Donoso-Barros died on August 2, 1975, as a result of a traffic accident.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donoso-Barros, Roberto 20th-century Chilean botanists Chilean herpetologists Smithsonian Institution people Chilean naturalists 1921 births 1975 deaths Chilean expatriates in Venezuela Chilean expatriates in the United States