Kitti Thonglongya
Encyclopedia
Kitti Thonglongya was an eminent Thai
ornithologist and mammalogist
. He is probably best known for two discoveries of endangered species.
, Craseonycteris thonglongyai, the world's smallest species of bat and the smallest mammal in the world, was found by him in 1973. He died suddenly from a massive heart attack, so the formal description was written by his British colleague, John E. Hill, who named the species in honour of its discoverer. He went on to discover other new bat species, such as the extremely rare Salim Ali's fruit bat Latidens salimalii, which had been misidentified in an India
n collection.
In the field of ornithology Kitti Thonglongya's best known discovery was of the White-eyed River Martin
, Pseudochelidon sirintarae, in 1969. This large swallow
, whose scientific name commemorates Princess Sirindhorn Thepratanasuda, was found wintering at a lake in central Thailand
, but its breeding grounds are unknown. It may now be extinct.
The first two Thai specimens of the Mekong Wagtail
, Motacilla samveasna, were collected by Kitti Thonglongya in December 1972.
He co-authored Bats from Thailand and Cambodia, and started the taxonomic study of bats of Thailand which appeared after his death as The Bats and Bat's Parasites of Thailand.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
ornithologist and mammalogist
Mammalogy
In zoology, mammalogy is the study of mammals – a class of vertebrates with characteristics such as homeothermic metabolism, fur, four-chambered hearts, and complex nervous systems...
. He is probably best known for two discoveries of endangered species.
Life
Thonglongya was born in Bangkok and graduated with a degree in biology from the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok in 1953. He then worked as a zoologist in a museum set up by the National science society and in 1956 he moved to the Thai Conservation Socity. In 1965 he became the curator at the Thai National Reference Collection.Career
The Kitti's Hog-nosed BatBumblebee Bat
Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat , also known as the bumblebee bat, is a vulnerable species of bat and the only extant member of the family Craseonycteridae. It occurs in western Thailand and southeast Burma, where it occupies limestone caves along rivers.Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat is the smallest species of bat...
, Craseonycteris thonglongyai, the world's smallest species of bat and the smallest mammal in the world, was found by him in 1973. He died suddenly from a massive heart attack, so the formal description was written by his British colleague, John E. Hill, who named the species in honour of its discoverer. He went on to discover other new bat species, such as the extremely rare Salim Ali's fruit bat Latidens salimalii, which had been misidentified in an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n collection.
In the field of ornithology Kitti Thonglongya's best known discovery was of the White-eyed River Martin
White-eyed River Martin
The White-eyed River Martin is a passerine bird, one of only two members of the river martin subfamily of the swallow family Hirundinidae...
, Pseudochelidon sirintarae, in 1969. This large swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
, whose scientific name commemorates Princess Sirindhorn Thepratanasuda, was found wintering at a lake in central Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, but its breeding grounds are unknown. It may now be extinct.
The first two Thai specimens of the Mekong Wagtail
Mekong Wagtail
The Mekong Wagtail is a species of bird in the Motacillidae family.It is found in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland and rivers....
, Motacilla samveasna, were collected by Kitti Thonglongya in December 1972.
He co-authored Bats from Thailand and Cambodia, and started the taxonomic study of bats of Thailand which appeared after his death as The Bats and Bat's Parasites of Thailand.