Gerlof Fokko Mees
Encyclopedia
Dr Gerlof Fokko Mees is a Dutch
ichthyologist
, ornithologist
and museum curator
who was born in the Netherlands, grew up in the Dutch East Indies
, and spent much of his life working in Australasia
. One of his principal interests has been the avian family Zosteropidae, comprising the White-eyes.
Mees attended the University of Amsterdam where he studied biology, obtaining his doctorate
in 1950. He was Curator of Vertebrates at the Western Australian Museum
from 1958 to 1963. He was subsequently Curator of Birds at the Leiden Museum
in the Netherlands until his retirement, for which he returned to Western Australia
in 1991.
He gave the first description of the unusual fish species, the Salamander fish of Western Australia.
Mees's Nightjar
, the proposed name for new species Caprimulgus meesi, is named for this researcher.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
ichthyologist
Ichthyology
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish. This includes skeletal fish , cartilaginous fish , and jawless fish...
, ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
and museum curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
who was born in the Netherlands, grew up in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
, and spent much of his life working in Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
. One of his principal interests has been the avian family Zosteropidae, comprising the White-eyes.
Mees attended the University of Amsterdam where he studied biology, obtaining his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in 1950. He was Curator of Vertebrates at the Western Australian Museum
Western Australian Museum
The Western Australian Museum is the state museum for Western Australia.The Western Australian Museum has seven main sites: two in Perth within the Perth Cultural Centre, two in Fremantle , and one each in Albany, Geraldton, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder...
from 1958 to 1963. He was subsequently Curator of Birds at the Leiden Museum
Naturalis
Naturalis is the national natural history museum of the Netherlands, based in Leiden. It originated from the merger of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie and the Rijksmuseum van Geologie en Mineralogie in 1984. In 1986 it was decided that the museum had to become a public museum and a new...
in the Netherlands until his retirement, for which he returned to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
in 1991.
He gave the first description of the unusual fish species, the Salamander fish of Western Australia.
Mees's Nightjar
Mees's Nightjar
The Mees's Nightjar Caprimulgus meesi is a member of the nightjar family described as new to science in 2004.It is a representative of the Large-tailed Nightjar complex found on Flores and Sumba, Indonesia...
, the proposed name for new species Caprimulgus meesi, is named for this researcher.
Additional information
- Bright Sparcs entry on Gerlof Mees accessed 1 November 2007
- A selection of articles by G.F. Mees for the Leiden museumRijksmuseum van Natuurlijke HistorieThe Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie was a museum in Leiden, The Netherlands. It was founded in 1820 by Royal Decree, formed from a merger of several existing collections. This happened at the instigation of Coenraad Jacob Temminck, who saw the museum primarily as a research institute...
, Repository.naturalis.nl