Person

Illidge, Rowland (1850 - 1929)

Born
27 November 1850
Peckham, Surrey, England
Died
13 February 1929
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation
Entomologist and Ornithologist

Summary

Rowland Illidge was an amateur entomologist and ornithologist, who pioneered entomology studies in Queensland. He was particularly interested in timber moths (family Xyloryctinae) the larvae of which made residential tunnels in wood, especially Acacia. In 1898 he published a key paper on butterflies around Brisbane which included notes on food plants and which, probably the first time, included information on type specimens. Illidge assembled a large collection of insect specimens. Many butterflies are now in the South Australian Museum as part of the Thomas P. Lucas collection. Illidge's significant Coleoptera collections, originally in the University of Queensland Insect Collection, have been part of the Queensland Museum collections since 2011. Enthusiastic about the need for a naturalists' society in Queensland, Illidge was a member of early attempts to establish such a society, being President of the Natural History Society of Queensland in 1894. He was the first Honorary member of the Entomological Society of Queensland. The moth genus Illidgea (family Xyloryctinae) was named in his honour.

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Details

Chronology

c. 1859
Life event - Migrated to Australia (Brisbane) with family
1868 - 1876
Career position - School Teacher in Queensland
c. 1877 -
Career position - Insurance Officer for various companies in Queensland
1886
Career event - Foundation Member, Field Naturalists' Section, Royal Society of Queensland
1894
Career position - President, Naturalist History Society of Queensland
1906
Career event - Foundation Member, Field Naturalists' Club of Queensland
1926
Career event - Associate Member, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

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Published resources

Books

  • Musgrave, A., Bibliography of Australian entomology, 1775-1930: with biographical notes on authors and collectors (Sydney: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 1932), 380 pp. Details

Journal Articles

  • Illidge, R., 'List of butterflies of the Brisbane district', Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, 13 (1898), 89-102. Details
  • Tryon, H., 'Rowland Illidge', Queensland naturalist, 7 (1929), 13-9. Details

Resources

Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn

Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 6 October 2023

EOAS ID: biogs/P001901b.htm

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Published by Swinburne University of Technology.
This Edition: 2024 November (Ballambar - Gariwerd calendar - early summer - season of butterflies)
Reference: http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/calendars/gariwerd.shtml#ballambar
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Cite this page: https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P001901b.htm

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