Zdravko Lorković (3 January 1900 – 11 November 1998) was a Croatian

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

, and

geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic process ...

. Lorković was a professor at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

, where he graduated in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

. He acquired a doctorate in biology in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

under Jovan Hadži. He studied the nucleus of cells and

chromosome A chromosome is a package of DNA containing part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes, the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with nucleosome-forming packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells, the most import ...

s, the origin and

evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

of species and

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

. Lorković was one of the first cytotaxonomists in the world and one of the pioneers of

cytotaxonomy Cytotaxonomy is the classification of organisms using comparative studies of Chromosome, chromosomes during meosis. Description Cytotaxonomy is a branch of taxonomy that uses the characteristics of cellular structures to classify organisms. In cyt ...

, best known for his

karyotype A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is discerned by de ...

studies of

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

summarised in Lorković 1990 "The butterfly chromosomes and their application in systematics and phylogeny". Lorković died on 11 November 1998. He is buried in

Mirogoj Cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, ), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery (), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members of all religious groups: Catholic, Orthodox, M ...

. He was the son of Ivan Lorković, a Croatian politician during its early independence movement, and brother of Mladen Lorković, an Ustaša minister for the fascist and Nazi-collaborationist

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

, notable for his involvement in the Lorković–Vokić plot.

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* * - Obituary and bibliography. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lorkovic, Zdravko 1900 births 1998 deaths Croatian entomologists Croatian biologists Lepidopterists Academic staff of the University of Zagreb Scientists from Zagreb Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Yugoslav zoologists 20th-century Croatian scientists University of Zagreb alumni