Person
Common, Ian Francis Bell (1917 - 2006)
AO
- Born
- 23 June 1917
Alford, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom - Died
- 3 June 2006
- Occupation
- Lepidopterist
Summary
Ian Common was one of Australia's principal entomologists who exerted a major influence of studies of butterflies throughout the world. His research has included studies on lepidopteran cereal and pasture pests, the migration of the Bogong Moth, and the taxonomy and higher classification of Lepidoptera. He published descriptions of two new families, Carthaeidae and Lophocoronidae. Among his publications was the internationally significant Moths of Australia (1990) for which he received the Whitley Medal from the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. With Doug Waterhouse he published Butterflies of Australia (1972, rev. ed. 1981)which was well received by butterfly enthusiasts. Common helped develop techniques and protocols for staining and mounting moth wings to study venation. With Murray Upton he devised light traps which facilitated the collection of good quality fragile moth specimens. Common was Chief Curator of the Australian National Insect Collection from 1977 to 1979, a period noted for the expansion of the collections, high curatorial standards, and well organised and successful field collecting trips. He was an active member and office-bearer of Australian and international entomological societies. The genus Commonia was named in his honour.
Details
Chronology
- 1938 - ?
- Career position - Member, Entomological Society of Queensland
- 1939 - 1940
- Career position - Secretary, Entomological Society of Queensland
- 1941
- Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Queensland
- 1944 - 1948
- Career position - Research Officer, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock
- 1945
- Career position - Research officer, CSIR Division of Economic Entomology
- 1945
- Education - Bachelor of Agricultural Science (BAgSc), University of Queensland
- 1946
- Education - Master of Arts (MA), University of Queensland
- 1948 - c. 1951
- Career position - Technical Secretary to Chief, CSIRO Division of Economic Entomology
- 1949 - ?
- Career position - Member, Entomological Society
- c. 1951 - 1974
- Career position - Research scientist, CSIRO Division of Entomology
- 1953
- Education - Master of Agricultural Science (MAgSc), University of Queensland
- 1956 - ?
- Career position - Member, Linnean Society of New South Wales
- 1957
- Career position - Vice-President, Entomological Society
- 1965
- Career position - Founding Member, Australian Entomological Society
- 1965
- Career position - Vice-President, Entomological Society
- 1966 - 2006
- Career position - Fellow, Royal Entomological Society
- 1969
- Award - Doctor of Agricultural Science (DAgSc), University of Queensland
- 1969 - 1972
- Career position - Vice-President, Australian Entomological Society
- 1974 - 1982
- Career position - Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Division of Entomology
- 1977 - 1979
- Career position - Chief Curator, Australian National Insect Collection
- 1978 - 1979
- Career position - President, Lepidopterists' Society
- 1980 - 1981
- Career position - President, Australian Entomological Society
- 1982
- Award - Honorary Member, Sociedad Hispano-Luso-Americano de Lepidopterologia
- 1982
- Life event - Retired
- 1982 - 2003
- Career position - Honorary Fellow, CSIRO Division of Entomology
- 1982 - 2006
- Award - Honorary Member, Australian Entomological Society
- 1990
- Award - Whitley Medal, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
- 1996
- Award - Karl Jordan Medal, Lepidopterists Society
- 2001
- Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for service to entomology, particularly the study of Lepidoptera insect pests, their effects on agriculture and the development of adequate controls, and to community education through the publication of books dealing with insects and their role in the environment
- 2003
- Award - Jacob Hübner Award for Lepidoptera Systematics, Association for Tropical Biology
- 2003 - 2006
- Career position - Emeritus Fellow, CSIRO Division of Entomology
Related entries
Colleague
Published resources
Books
- Common, I. F. B. and Waterhouse, D. F., Butterflies of Australia (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1972), 498 pp. Details
Book Sections
- Common, I. F. B., 'Landmarks in the taxonomy of Lepidoptera' in Australian systematic entomology: a bicentenary perspective, Highley, E. and Taylor, R. W., eds (Collingwood, Vic.: CSIRO, 1983), pp. 20-33. Details
Journal Articles
- Edwards, E. D. (Ted), 'Ian Francis Bell Common (23 June 1917 to 3 June 2006)', Journal of the Lepidopterists Society, 62 (2) (2008), 111-3. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3791475. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/27735812. Details
See also
- Upton, M. S., A Rich and Diverse Fauna: the history of the Australian National Insect Collection 1926 - 1991 (Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing, 1997), 386 pp. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 5 December 2017, Last modified: 3 July 2018