Person

Tillyard, Robin John (1881 - 1937)

FRS

Born
31 January 1881
Norwich, Norfolk, England
Died
13 January 1937
Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation
Entomologist and Teacher
Alternative Names
  • Tillyard, Robert

Summary

Robin Tillyard was internationally renowned as a systematic entomologist when he became the Chief of the CSIRO Division of Economic Entomology in 1928. He was an expert in dragonflies (Odonata) and Lacewings (Neuroptera), insect palaeontology, and the wing venation and phylogeny of insects. His landmark work The Biology of Dragonflies was published in 1917. In New Zealand he established a reputation in the field of biological control of plant and insect pests. His book The insects of Australian and New Zealand (1926) remained the principal work in the field for nearly 50 years. As Chief of Division he ensured that insect taxonomy was integral to the Division's programs and was responsible for establishing what became the National Insect Collection. Tillyard was an influential worker on the fossils of the Elmo Permian deposits, believing that they held the key to the true classification of insects. In later years he worked with Edgeworth David on supposed pre-Cambrian fossils in South Australia.

Details

Chronology

1903
Education - BA, University of Cambridge
1904
Life event - Migrated to Australia
1904 - 1913
Career position - Mathematics and science teacher, Sydney Grammar School
1907
Education - MA, University of Cambridge
1914
Education - BSc, University of Sydney
1915 - 1920
Career position - Linnean Macleay Fellow in Zoology, The University of Sydney
1917
Award - Crisp Prize and Medal, Linnean Society, London
1917 - 1920
Career position - Lecturer in Zoology, The University of Sydney
1920 - 1926
Career position - Chief of Department of Biology, Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand
1926
Award - Trueman Wood Medal, Royal Society of Arts and Science, London
1928
Career position - Honorary Fellow, Queen’s College, University of Cambridge
1928 - 1934
Career position - Chief of Division, CSIRO Division of Economic Entomology
1929
Award - R. M. Johnston Memorial Medal, Royal Society of Tasmania
1930
Career position - President, Section D (Zoology), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science
1931
Award - Clarke Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales
1931 - 1937
Award - Fellow, Royal Zooogical Society of New South Wales
1934
Life event - Retired
1935
Award - Mueller Medal, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science

Archival resources

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Corporate Records and Archives Strategies

  • Robin John Tillyard - Records, 1928 - 1934, Series 3, 67 and others; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Corporate Records and Archives Strategies. Details

Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales

  • Angus & Robertson - Records, 1824 - 1933, ML MSS 314; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
  • Arthur Wilberforce Jose - Records, 1919 - 1925, A7273; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
  • Robin John Tillyard - Records, 1921 - 1937; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details

Published resources

Books

  • Evans, J. W., The Life and Work of Robin John Tillyard, 1881-1937 (St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 1963), 32 pp. Details
  • 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
  • Tillyard, R. J., The insects of Macquarie Island (Sydney: Government Printer, 1920), 35 pp. Details
  • Tillyard, R. J. and Dunstan, B., Mesozoic insects of Queensland, pts I and II, 2 vols (Brisbane: Department of Mines, 1923-4). Details

Book Sections

Journal Articles

  • Crosby, T. K., 'Robin John Tillyard - the man behind the book', New Zealand Entomologist, 6 (3) (1977), 305-8. Details
  • Evans, J. W., 'Robin John Tillyard, 1881-1937', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 71 (1946), 252-256. Details
  • Imms, A. D., 'Robin John Tillyard, 1881 - 1937', Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society, 2 (6) (1938), 339-45. Details
  • Khelifa, Rassim, Theischinger, Gunther and Endersby, Ian, 'A century on from "The biology of dragonflies" by Tillyard 1917: what have we learned since then?', Austral Entomology, 56 (2017), 138-47. Details
  • Lambkin, Kevin J., 'Robin John Tillyard's 1936 Queensland excursion: uncivilised towns, unmitigated discomfort and fossil insects', Archives of natural history, 47 (1) (2020), 92-104. Details
  • Schedvin, C. B., 'Environment, Economy and Australian Biology 1890-1939', Historical Studies, 21 (1984), 11-28. Details

Resources

See also

  • Endersby, Ian D., 'Etymology of the Dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) named by R.J. Tillyard, F.R.S.', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 134 (2012), 1-16. Details
  • Norris, K. R., 'Ian Murray Mackerras 1898-1980', Historical Records of Australian Science, 5 (2) (1981), 98-114. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9810520098. Details
  • Serle, Percival, Dictionary of Australian biography (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1949). Details

Digital resources

Title
Robin John Tillyard
Type
Image

Details

Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn

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