Sven O. Kullander
Encyclopedia
Sven Oscar Kullander is a Swedish
biologist
specialised in ichthyology
.
He primarily researches cichlid
s – notably the genus
Apistogramma
and the Cichlasoma
-complex – and other tropical
fresh water
fish
es.
He also has been working with endangered fish species
in Sweden.
He studied at the universities of Umeå
and Stockholm
, and took his Ph.D.
in Stockholm in 1984. Today he is the first steward at the Swedish Museum of Natural History
in Stockholm, with the responsibility for the ichthyologic and herpetologic
collections.
Kullander also coordinates the museum's contributions to FishBase
.
Sven Kullander has issued several scientific
and popular publications, and made several expeditions where he has described many groups and species of cichlid. His first book, A Revision of the South American Cichlid Genus Cichlasoma came in 1983. His second book was released in 1986 and the third one in 1989.
The Swedish magazine Tidskriften Akvariet ("Aquarium Times") gave him "Akvariets Oscar" ("the Aquarium
Academy Award") in 1996 for his great contribution to the aquarium hobby
. ("Oscar" is also the Swedish trivial name
for the cichlid Astronotus ocellatus.)
His wife, Fang Fang Kullander (1962-2010), was also an ichthyologist whose career was tragically cut short by cancer.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
specialised in ichthyology
Ichthyology
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish. This includes skeletal fish , cartilaginous fish , and jawless fish...
.
He primarily researches cichlid
Cichlid
Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...
s – notably the 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...
Apistogramma
Apistogramma
Apistogramma is a genus of approximately a hundred species of fish from the family Cichlidae found in tropical areas of the Amazon basin and Venezuela. Apistogramma literally means "irregular lateral line" referring to a common trait of the species under this taxon...
and the Cichlasoma
Cichlasoma
Cichlasoma is a genus of fish in the cichlid family.The genus was previously very large, including cichlids from Texas, North America, through all of Central America to parts of South America....
-complex – and other tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
fresh water
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
es.
He also has been working with endangered fish species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in Sweden.
He studied at the universities of Umeå
Umeå University
Umeå University is a university in Umeå in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present borders....
and Stockholm
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
, and took his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Stockholm in 1984. Today he is the first steward at the Swedish Museum of Natural History
Swedish Museum of Natural History
The Swedish Museum of Natural History , in Stockholm, is one of two major museums of natural history in Sweden, the other one being located in Gothenburg....
in Stockholm, with the responsibility for the ichthyologic and herpetologic
Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...
collections.
Kullander also coordinates the museum's contributions to FishBase
FishBase
FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish species . It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web...
.
Sven Kullander has issued several scientific
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and popular publications, and made several expeditions where he has described many groups and species of cichlid. His first book, A Revision of the South American Cichlid Genus Cichlasoma came in 1983. His second book was released in 1986 and the third one in 1989.
The Swedish magazine Tidskriften Akvariet ("Aquarium Times") gave him "Akvariets Oscar" ("the Aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
Academy Award") in 1996 for his great contribution to the aquarium hobby
Fishkeeping
Fishkeeping is a popular hobby concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. There is also a fishkeeping industry, as a branch of agriculture.-Types of fishkeeping systems:...
. ("Oscar" is also the Swedish trivial name
Trivial name
In chemistry, a trivial name is a common name or vernacular name; it is a non-systematic name or non-scientific name. That is, the name is not recognised according to the rules of any formal system of nomenclature...
for the cichlid Astronotus ocellatus.)
His wife, Fang Fang Kullander (1962-2010), was also an ichthyologist whose career was tragically cut short by cancer.
External links
- www.nrm.se – Biography at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, with a link to a list of Kullander's publications