Thora Whitehead
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Thora Whitehead | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 January 1936 |
| Died | 30 September 2021 (aged 85) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Known for | Conchology |
Thora Patricia Whitehead (27 January 1936 – 30 September 2021) was an Australian scientific collector and malacologist. She collected more than 200,000 shell specimens which are now held in the Queensland Museum.
Life and work[edit]
With Kevin Lamprell, Whitehead co-wrote the two-volume Bivalves of Australia.[1] She also edited Lamprell's book, Spondylus: Spiny oyster shells of the world, in 1986.[2]
Whitehead spent over 50 years collecting shells, particularly along the coast of Queensland. She found specimens in mangrove forests and on beaches, rocky outcrops and coral reefs.[3]
In the process of photographing the specimens prior to acquisition of Whitehead's extensive shell collection by the Queensland Museum, its curator John Healy discovered a new species. He named it Amoria thorae in her honour.[4][5]
Personal life[edit]
Born in Chile in 1936,[6] Whitehead died in Brisbane in 2021 aged 85. She was survived by John, her husband of 56 years, and three children.[7]
Legacy[edit]
A number of species were named in her honour, including Amoria thorae, Callocardia thorae, Conus whiteheadae, Morula whiteheadae, Nassarius whiteheadae and Terebra whiteheadae.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ Lamprell, Kevin; Whitehead, Thora (1992), Bivalves of Australia, Crawford House Press, ISBN 978-1-86333-039-8
- ^ Lamprell, Kevin (1986), Whitehead, Thora (ed.), Spondylus: Spiny oyster shells of the world, Robert Brown & Associates, ISBN 978-0-949267-20-7
- ^ "New species of mollusk discovered by museum curator". phys.org. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ Healy, John (2021). "A new species of Amoria (Gastropoda, Volutidae, Amoriinae) from the mid-east coast of Australia". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature. 62: 1–10. doi:10.17082/j.2204-1478.62.2020.2019-02. S2CID 213031341.
- ^ "Shell-shocking rare new species discovered". Scimex. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "BEMON: V & W". www.bemon.loven.gu.se. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "WHITEHEAD, Thora Patricia". My Tributes. The Courier-Mail. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "Thora P. Whitehead | Shellers From the Past and Present". www.conchology.be. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
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