Robert C. Murdoch
Encyclopedia
Robert C. Murdoch was a malacologist in New Zealand
.
, of Wanganui
. He spent some years subsequent to 1888 in farming near Wanganui, but in 1892 he went to Sydney
and studied Mollusca with Mr. Charles Hedley
. Soon afterwards he entered commercial life, which he followed until his death, on the 11th November, 1923. He had kind and sympathetic nature and it gained for him a multitude of friends throughout the country.
Murdoch cooperated with geologist Patrick Marshall
on fossil molluscs.
Generic name Murdochia is named in honor of him.
He formally named and described species of sea snails, marine gastropods, including:
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Biography
He received a secondary-school education, and afterwards travelled widely with Captain ShuttleworthShuttleworth
In the United Kingdom, Shuttleworths are lists of people canvassed to be likely to vote for a particular political party in the PIG model of an electoral campaign. The idea is that once someone is determined to have voted, they are crossed off the list, thus maintaining an always up-to-date record...
, of Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
. He spent some years subsequent to 1888 in farming near Wanganui, but in 1892 he went to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and studied Mollusca with Mr. Charles Hedley
Charles Hedley
Charles Hedley was a naturalist, active in Australia and winner of the 1925 Clarke Medal.-Early life:...
. Soon afterwards he entered commercial life, which he followed until his death, on the 11th November, 1923. He had kind and sympathetic nature and it gained for him a multitude of friends throughout the country.
Scientific work
For many years he gave all his spare time to the study of New Zealand Mollusca. He was several times a contributor to Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute and to the Journal of the Malacological Society. At the time of his sudden and unexpected death he had arranged to give up business life and devote himself to research. During a visit to England about 1914 his important and extensive collections, which included several types of New Zealand Mollusca, were destroyed by fire. He was unmarried, and was well known as a prominent Freemason.Murdoch cooperated with geologist Patrick Marshall
Patrick Marshall
Dr. Patrick Marshall was a geologist who lived in New Zealand. For over forty years he was an outstanding figure among New Zealand scientists, and was well known to geologists in many lands as a very versatile and productive investigator. His research was also devoted to zoology...
on fossil molluscs.
Generic name Murdochia is named in honor of him.
He formally named and described species of sea snails, marine gastropods, including:
- Peculator hedleyiPeculator hedleyiPeculator hedleyi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Volutomitridae, the mitres.- Further reading :* Powell A W B, New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1...
(Murdoch, 1905) - Acirsa subcarinataAcirsa subcarinataAcirsa subcarinata is a species of minute deep water sea snail or micromollusk. It is a wentletrap in the family Epitoniidae, a marine gastropod mollusk.This species is distributed along New Zealand.-References:...
(Murdoch & SuterHenry SuterHenry Suter was a New Zealand zoologist, naturalist, palaeontologist, and malacologist.- Biography :...
, 1906)