John Dow Fisher Gilchrist

John Dow Fisher Gilchrist (1866–1926) was a Scottish-born South African ichthyologist. He was born in Anstruther, Fife, Scotland, and died at Saint James, Cape Town, South Africa.^[1]

He obtained a Ph.D. at Jena University, Germany in 1894, and later held the post of Professor and Director of Fisheries and Marine Biological Survey of South Africa, in Cape Town.^[2]

He is the recognised authority for many genera and species of fish, such as Paralichthodes algoensis, the peppered flounder.^[3] His standard abbreviation under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is Gilchrist.

The genus Gilchristella, a member of the Clupeidae (herring) family, was named in 1935 in his honour.^[1]

Selected publications

• South African Zoology. A Text Book for the Use of Students, Teachers and Others in South Africa (Cape Town and Pretoria, 1912)
• The Freshwater Fishes of South Africa: Volume 11, Parts 5-6 of Annals of the South African Museum (Trustees of the South African Museum, 1913)
• Practical zoology for medical & junior students (E. & S. Livingstone, 1922)

References

1. "John Dow Fisher Gilchrist". Neglected Science. 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
2. "John Dow Fisher Gilchrist". Archives Catalogue. Natural History Museum. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
3. "Paralichthodes algoensis Gilchrist, 1902". Fishbase. Retrieved 18 January 2014.