Gilbert Percy Whitley (9 June 1903 – 18 July 1975) was a British-born Australian

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of October ...

and

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, ...

who was Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum in Sydney for about 40 years. He was born at Swaythling,

Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and was educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton and the

Royal Naval College, Osborne The Royal Naval College, Osborne, was a training college for Royal Navy officer cadets on the Osborne House estate, Isle of Wight, established in 1903 and closed in 1921. Boys were admitted at about the age of thirteen to follow a course las ...

. Whitley migrated with his family to Sydney in 1921 and he joined the staff of the Australian Museum in 1922 while studying

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

at Sydney Technical College and the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

. In 1925 he was formally appointed Ichthyologist (later Curator of Fishes) at the Museum, a position he held until retirement in 1964. During his term of office he doubled the size of the ichthyological collection to 37,000 specimens through many collecting expeditions. Whitley was also a major force in the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, of which he was made a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in 1934 and where he served as president during 1940–41, 1959–60 and 1973–74. He also edited its publications from 1947 to 1971. He died in Sydney in 1975. His zoological author abbreviation was Whitley.

Awards and honours

*1967 – Awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria *1970 – Awarded the W.B. Clarke Medal by the Royal Society of New South Wales *1979 – Commemorated by the establishment, by the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, of the Whitley Awards for excellence in zoological publications relating to the fauna of the

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecolo ...

n region.

Publications

References

*Murray, Maree; & Roach, John. (2002). ''Whitley, Gilbert Percy (1903–1975)''. Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 16. Melbourne University Press. {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitley, Gilbert Percy Australian ichthyologists Australian zoologists Australian malacologists 1903 births 1975 deaths Australian curators People educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton 20th-century British zoologists British emigrants to Australia

Awards and honours

See also

Publications

References