Ethylwynn Trewavas
Encyclopedia
Dr. Ethelwynn Trewavas was an ichthyologist at the British Museum of Natural History. She was known for her work on the families Cichlidae and Sciaenidae
. She worked with Charles Tate Regan another ichthyologist and taxonomist.
She served as the senior scientist in the Fish Section of the British Museum of Natural History for almost 50 years, and was known internationally as an authority on several diverse groups of fishes.
She was best-known for her work describing African Rift lake
cichlids, but she published extensively on other groups as well. She used laboratory study and extended field trips to research her current areas of study, and often relied on interviews with local people to understand the behaviours, forms and food potential of fishes.
One example of the influence of Regan and Trewavas is that of the 13 currently named genus
categories of Lake Malawi
mbuna
, two are attributed to Regan and six to Trewavas http://malawicichlids.com/mw07000.htm. Of the 41 genera of Haplochromis
in the lake, five were described by Regan and 27 by Trewavas, either individually or in partnership with David Eccles.
Later in life she mentored prominent researcher Ad Konings
, who has continued many of her areas of study. When her eyesight failed she insisted that he accept her stereo microscope as a gift so he could continue her work with African cichlids.
after her. Even during her lifetime, more fish species had received the specific epithet trewavasae ("of Trewavas") or ethelwynnae ("of Ethelwynn") than were named after most other modern fish researchers, underscoring the importance of her contribution to the field:
After her death, the memory of her contributions remained. Posthumous honorific names are, as of 2009:
Sciaenidae
Sciaenidae is a family of fish commonly called drums, croakers, or hardheads for the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make...
. She worked with Charles Tate Regan another ichthyologist and taxonomist.
She served as the senior scientist in the Fish Section of the British Museum of Natural History for almost 50 years, and was known internationally as an authority on several diverse groups of fishes.
She was best-known for her work describing African Rift lake
Rift lake
A rift lake is a lake formed as a result of subsidence related to movement on faults within a rift zone, an area of extensional tectonics in the continental crust. They are often found within rift valleys and may be very deep...
cichlids, but she published extensively on other groups as well. She used laboratory study and extended field trips to research her current areas of study, and often relied on interviews with local people to understand the behaviours, forms and food potential of fishes.
One example of the influence of Regan and Trewavas is that of the 13 currently named genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
categories of Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
mbuna
Mbuna
Mbuna is the common name for a large group of African cichlids from Lake Malawi. The name mbuna means "rockfish" in the language of the Tonga people of Malawi...
, two are attributed to Regan and six to Trewavas http://malawicichlids.com/mw07000.htm. Of the 41 genera of Haplochromis
Haplochromis
Haplochromis is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cichlidae. It has been used as the default "wastebin taxon" for Pseudocrenilabrinae cichlids of the East African Rift, and as such became the "largest" fish "genus"...
in the lake, five were described by Regan and 27 by Trewavas, either individually or in partnership with David Eccles.
Later in life she mentored prominent researcher Ad Konings
Ad Konings
Ad Konings is an ichthyologist originally trained in medicine and biology. Konings is best known for his research on African rift lake cichlids. After studies in Amsterdam he has spent most of his life in Rotterdam.- Early life :Konings started keeping cichlids when he was 14 years old in 1970...
, who has continued many of her areas of study. When her eyesight failed she insisted that he accept her stereo microscope as a gift so he could continue her work with African cichlids.
Species named after Ethelwynn Trewavas
Many fellow ichthyologists honoured Trewavas by naming newly-discovered speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
after her. Even during her lifetime, more fish species had received the specific epithet trewavasae ("of Trewavas") or ethelwynnae ("of Ethelwynn") than were named after most other modern fish researchers, underscoring the importance of her contribution to the field:
- Eustomias trewavasaeEustomias trewavasaeEustomias trewavasae is a small abyssal barbeled dragonfish of the family Stomiidae, found worldwide in tropical and subtropical oceans at depths down to 1,500 m. Its length is up to 25 cm.-References:...
Norman, 1930 - Glyptothorax trewavasae Hora, 1938
- Petrochromis trewavasae Poll, 1948
- Symphurus trewavasae Chabanaud, 1948
- Garra trewavasaiGarra trewavasaiGarra trewavasai is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Garra....
Monod, 1950 - Labeotropheus trewavasae Fryer, 1956
- Garra ethelwynnaeGarra ethelwynnaeGarra ethelwynnae is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Garra....
Menon, 1958 - Neolebias trewavasae Poll & Gosse, 1963
- Atrobucca trewavasae Talwar & Sathirajan, 1975
- Protosciaena trewavasae (Chao & Miller, 1975)
- Linophryne trewavasae Bertelsen, 1978
- Gobiocichla ethelwynnae Roberts, 1982
- Phenacostethus trewavasae Parenti, 1986
- Aulonocara ethelwynnae Meyer, Riehl & Zetzsche, 1987
- Tylochromis trewavasae Stiassny, 1989
- Triplophysa trewavasaeTriplophysa trewavasaeTriplophysa trewavasae is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Triplophysa....
Mirza & Ahmad, 1990 - Johnius trewavasae Sasaki, 1992
- Rhynchoconger trewavasae Ben-Tuvia, 1993
After her death, the memory of her contributions remained. Posthumous honorific names are, as of 2009:
- Copadichromis trewavasaeCopadichromis trewavasaeCopadichromis trewavasae is a species of fish in the Cichlidae family. This species of Copadichromis is named after noted ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas.It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes....
Konings, 1999 - EtiaEtiaEtia is a genus of cichlid fish with only a single species, Etia nguti. This fairly small cichlid is endemic to Cameroon in Central Africa. It is one of the most singular Pseudocrenilabrinae; no really close relatives are known.-References:...
Schliewen & Stiassny, 2003 - Placidochromis trewavasae Hanssens, 2004
Publications (incomplete)
- 1983: Tilapiine Fishes of the Genera "Sarotherodon", "Oreochromis" and "Danakilia" . 583 pages. London: British Museum (Natural History) ISBN 0-565-00878-1