Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
- 27 January 1870) was a civil servant in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
and an amateur
malacologist
Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, ...
. He made large collections of molluscs and described numerous speciesNaggs F. (1997). "William Benson and the early study of land snails in British India and Ceylon". ''
Archives of Natural History
The ''Archives of Natural History'' (formerly the ''Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History'') is a peer-reviewed academic journal and the official journal of the Society for the History of Natural History. It publishes pa ...
'' 24(1): 37-88 PDF from the U.K., India and South Africa.
He joined Haileybury College in 1819 and joined the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
at Bengal. He reached Calcutta on 30 October 1821 and worked in a number of positions including a District Collector and Officiating Judge in
Meerut
Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...
,
Bareilly
Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...
and other parts of northern India. During his stay in India he collected specimens of numerous land snails some of which he sent to
Hugh Cuming
Hugh Cuming (14 February 1791 – 10 August 1865) was an England, English collecting, collector who was interested in natural history, particularly in conchology and botany. He has been described as the "Prince of Collectors".
Born in England, he ...
in England.
On the return from a trip to
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
he brought a couple of living ''
Achatina fulica
''Lissachatina fulica'' is a species of large land snail that belongs in the subfamily Achatininae of the family Achatinidae. It is also known as the Giant African land snail.
His son-in-law Major Richard Sankey was executor of his estate and the collections that he bequeathed went to Sylvanus Hanley, who removed the locality labels of all the specimens thus decreasing their value.
Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal
The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...
'': 75-77.
* Benson W. B. (1836). "Descriptive catagogue of a collection of land and fresh-water shells, chiefly contained in the Museum of the Asiatic Society". ''Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal'' 741 750.
* Benson W. B. (1851). "Geographical notices and characters of fourteen new species of ''Cyclostomacea'' from the East Indies". ''
Annals and Magazine of Natural History
The ''Journal of Natural History'' is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'' (''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.'') a ...
'': 184-195.
* Benson W. B. (1852). "Notes on the genus ''Cyclostoma'' and characters of new species from India, Borneo and Natal". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'': 268-272.
* Benson W. B. (1854). "Characters of four Indian species of ''Cyclophorus'' Montfort, Followed by notes on the geographical distribution of the genera of the ''Cyclostomacea'' with remarks in its affinities and notes on several opercula". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'': 411-418.
* Benson W. B. (1857). "Characters of ''Streptaulus'' a new genus and several species of the ''Cyclostomacea'' from Sikkim, the Khasi Hills Ava and Pegu". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'': 201-211.
* Benson W. H. (1858). "Note sur la transportation et la naturalization au Bengale de l’ ''Achatina fulica'' de Lamarck. ''
Journal de Conchyliologie
A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to:
*Bullet journal, a method of personal organization
*Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period
*Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...
'' 1: 336-339.
* Benson W. B. (1859). "Description of new species of ''Helix'', ''Streptaxis'', ''Vitrina'', collected by W. Theobald, Jun in Burmah, the Khasi Hills and Hindustan". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'': 184-189.
* Benson W. B. (1859). "New Helicidae collected by W. Theobald Esq. Jun in Burmah and the Khasi Hills and characters of a new Burmese Streptaxis described by W. H. Benson Esq." ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'': 387-392.
* Benson W. B. (1859). "Observations on the shell and animal of ''Hybocyctis'', a new genus of Cyclostomidae based on ''Megalomastoma gravidum'' and ''Otopoma blenus'' with notes on other living shells from India and Burmah". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'': 90-93.
* Benson W. B. (1860). "Characters of new land shells from Burma and the Andamans". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'' 190-195.
* Benson W. B. (1860). "Notes on ''Plectopylis'', a group a Helicidae distinguished by several internal plicate ephiphragms; with the characters of a new species". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'' (3)5 243 247.
* Benson W. B. (1863). "Characters of new land shells of the genus ''Helix'', ''Clausilia'', ''Spiraxis'' from Andamans, Moulmein, Northern India and Ceylon". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'': 87-91.
* Benson W. B. (1863). "Characters of new land shells from the Andamans island, Burma and Ceylon and of the animal of ''Sophina''". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'': 318-323.
* Benson W. B. (1863). "Characters of new operculate land shells from the Andamans and of Indo Burmese species of ''Pupa''". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'': 425-429.
* Benson W. B. (1864). "Characters of ''Coilostele'' an undescribed genus of ''Auriculacea'' and of species of ''Helix'', ''Pupa'' and ''Ancylus'' from India, West Africa and Ceylon". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History'': 87-91.
Oxygyrus
''Oxygyrus keraudrenii'' is a species of sea snail, a holoplanktonic marine gastropod mollusk in the family Atlantidae.
''Oxygyrus keraudrenii'' is the only species in the genus ''Oxygyrus''.
Description
''Oxygyrus keraudreni'' (along with ' ...
'' (Benson, 1835)Benson W. H. (1835). "Account of ''Oxygyrus''; a new genus of pelagian shells allied to the genus ''Atlanta'' of Lesueur, with a note on some other pelagian shells lately taken on board the ship Malcolm". ''
Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal
The Asiatic Society is a government of India organisation founded during the Company rule in India to enhance and further the cause of "Oriental research", in this case, research into India and the surrounding regions. It was founded by the p ...
'' 4: 173-176. ''Oxygyrus'' is on the page 174.
* ''
Batillaria
''Batillaria'' is a genus of small salt marsh or mudflat snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Batillariidae, the horn snails.
Species
Species within the genus ''Batillaria'' include:
* '' Batillaria attramentaria'' (G. B. Sowerby I, 1 ...
'' (Benson in Cantor, 1842)
* ''
Diplommatina
''Diplommatina'' is a genus of land snails with an operculum, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the family Diplommatinidae.MolluscaBase (2018). Diplommatina Benson, 1849. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinesp ...
Musculista senhousia
: ''For the Asian green mussel, see Perna viridis.''
''Arcuatula senhousia'', commonly known as the Asian date mussel, Asian mussel or bag mussel, is a small saltwater mussel, a marine bivalve mollusk species in the family Mytilidae, the musse ...
'' (Benson, 1842)
* ''
Indrella ampulla
''Indrella'' is a monotypic genus containing the single species ''Indrella ampulla'', a tropical terrestrial air-breathing gastropod mollusk in the family Ariophantidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.2007''Tropical Land Snail Div ...
'' (Benson, 1850)
References
Further reading
* Auffenberg K. (2000). "Historical malacology: William Benson (1803-1870)". ''
American Conchologist
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 ...
'' 28(1): 24.
* Budha P. B. & Naggs F. (2008). "The Giant African Land Snail ''Lissachatina fulica'' ( Bowdich) in Nepal". '' The Malacologist'': 50 HTM
* Crosse H. & Fischer P. (1872). "Nécrologie". ''
Journal de Conchyliologie
A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to:
*Bullet journal, a method of personal organization
*Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period
*Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...