FNZ 62 - Trechini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae) - Contributor notes
Townsend, JI 2010. Trechini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae). Fauna of New Zealand 62, 101 pages.
(
ISSN 0111-5383 (print),
ISSN 1179-7193 (online)
;
no.
62.
ISBN 978-0-478-34717-9 (print),
ISBN 978-0-478-34716-6 (online)
).
Published 16 Jun 2010
ZooBank: http://zoobank.org/References/0D2B064C-C2E0-41F8-AB9A-BEB2E4B41412
Contributor notes
Contributor James Ian Townsend was born in the small town of Hawera, growing up in the rural atmosphere of Taranaki where his parents encouraged his interest in nature and the outdoors. He was educated at Hawera Technical High School and later completed courses in entomology at Massey University.
While working as a technician with Entomology Division, DSIR at Palmerston North, under the directorship of Dr Jim Hoy, Ian discovered a number of new species of eriococcid scale insect. His keen interest in the natural environment and taxonomy led in 1958 to his transferring to Nelson to assist in strengthening the combined Cawthron/DSIR reference collection of terrestrial invertebrates (later to become NZAC). This was where he developed his special interest in Carabidae, sparked by seeing a number of striking broscines in Ted Gourlay’s collection. A keen caver, Ian and other members of the Nelson Speleological Group collected a mass of carabid material during their underground explorations, which they sent for identification to Dr Everard Britton, the well-known specialist on Carabidae at the Natural History Museum. A highly productive correspondence ensued that led to a number of publications on the cave carabid fauna of New Zealand by Dr Britton. Ian was also greatly encouraged in his studies of Carabidae by meeting the internationally renowned carabidologist, Dr Carl Lindroth, in 1971. Later he escorted carabidologist Dr Shun-Ichi Uéno, Tokyo, during his visits to New Zealand to collect cave dwelling trechines, and maintained ongoing correspondence with Dr Uéno, who provided critical help and encouragement with this project over many years. In the mid-1970s Ian received geological training with the New Zealand Geological Survey that enabled him help map parts of the Nelson back country. In 1979 he moved back to Levin in the North Island, taking up a diagnostician position with the Ministry of Agriculture to identify insects intercepted by agricultural quarantine officers. He retired from MAF in 1988, but then conducted entomological surveys for various organisations, especially the Department of Conservation. He also maintained an active research interest, and provided much information about New Zealand Carabidae for Larochelle & Larivière’s 2001 catalogue (Fauna of New Zealand 43).
Ian is currently a research associate with NZAC and has written a number of publications, primarily on Carabidae, but also on other natural history subjects. He lost his wife Heather to cancer in 2003, and has a daughter and two sons, and four grandchildren.