Richards, Aola Mary (1927 - 2021)

Summary

Aola Richards was an renowned entomologist much of whose research was on the taxonomy of cave crickets (Rhaphidophoridae) of Australia and New Zealand. An expert on these insects (known as wētā), she described five new genera from New Zealand and over 20 species from Australia. She is reputed to have described almost all the Australian species. Her other main field of research was on Australian ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae). Richards and her colleague L. W. Filewood were the first to note how these beetles could avoid plant toxins by chewing through the leafstalk of their food plan. Her published output comprised more that 80 papers, the most cited being on wētā and the feeding behaviour of beetles. Richards was a keen speleologist. With Ted Lane, she was the founding editor of Helictite, the newsletter of the Australian Speleological Federation. For over 30 years she lectured in entomology in the Biology Department of the University of New South Wales. On retiring in 1993, she donated her collections to the Australian National Insect Collection. Disappointed that the teaching of entomology ceased at the University after her retirement she made significant bequests to this University and the Victoria University of Wellington to support postgraduate and postdoctoral entomological research.

Details

Chronology

1954

Education - MSc in zoology (hons), Victoria University of Wellington

1958

Education - PhD, Victoria University of Wellington

1959 - 1960?

Career position - Entomologist, Plant Diseases Division, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in Auckland

1961? - 1993

Career position - Lectured in entomology, Biology Department, University of New South Wales

1993

Life event - Retired

1993 - 1994

Career position - Honorary researcher, University of New South Wales

Related entries

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Lane, E., and Richards, A., 'The discovery, exploration and scientific investigation of the Wellington Caves, New South Wales', Helictite, 2 (1) (1963), 1-53. Details
• Merritt, David, 'Dr Aola Richards', Myrmecia, 60 (2) (2024), 7. https://www.austentsoc.org.au/public/111/files/Myrmecia%2060%3B2_Finalversion_FinalV3_compressed.pdf. Details
• Richards, Aola M., 'Cave animals and their environment', Helictite, 1 (1) (1962), 3-13. Details
• Richards, Aola M., 'An ecological study of the cavernicolous fauna of the Nullarbor Plain Southern Australia', Journal of zoology, 164 (1) (1971), 1-60. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1971.tb01297.x. Details
• Richards, Aola M., 'A comparative study of the biology of the Giant wetas Deinacrida heteracantha and D. fallai (Orthoptera: Henicidae) from New Zealand', Journal of zoology, 169 (2) (1973), 195-236. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1973.tb04554.x. Details
• Richards, Aola M. and Filewood, L. W., 'Feeding behaviour and food preferences of the pest species comprising the Epilachna vigintioctopunctata (F.) complex (Col., Coccinellidae)', Journal of applied entomology, 110 (1/5) (1990), 501-15, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0418.1990.tb00150.x. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21391878. Details
• 'Richards, Aola Mary', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1772678. Details