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.
3. "Paralichthodes algoensis Gilchrist, 1902". Fishbase. Retrieved 18 January 2014.