Person
Martyn, Ernest James (Ernie) (1926 - 1989)
- Born
- 3 April 1926
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - Died
- 5 June 1989
Tasmania, Australia - Occupation
- Entomologist, Public servant and Science administrator
Summary
Ernie Martyn was an entomologist who spent most of his career with the Entomology Division of the Tasmanian Department of Agriculture. One of his principal contributions was a systematic survey of newly-available pesticides and the establishment of protocols, still in use, to field-test pasture pesticides. This is credited with Tasmania avoiding many common problems with persistent soil insecticides. Other research was into cockchafers (Scarabaeidae), ghost moths (Hepialidae) and the southern armyworm (Noctuidae), which threatened the viability of soldier settlement schemes in the 1950s. He later became an authority on aphids, organising surveys and establishing an extensive reference collection. Martyn became Chief Entomologist in the Department in 1967 and for over ten years was Deputy Director of Agriculture. He represented Tasmania on the Commonwealth Standing Committee on Agriculture. Martyn was a foundation member of the Australian Entomological Society.
Details
Chronology
- 1948
- Education - BAgSc, University of Sydney
- 1948 - 1967
- Career position - Assistant Entomologist (later Entomologist), Entomology Division, Tasmanian Department of Agriculture
- 1956
- Education - MScAgr, University of Tasmania
- 1965
- Career event - Foundation member, Australian Entomological Society
- October 1967 - 1976
- Career position - Chief Entomologist, Tasmanian Department of Agriculture
- 1976 - 1987
- Career position - Deputy Director of Agriculture, Tasmanian Department of Agriculture
- July 1987
- Life event - Retired
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Martyn, E. J., The identification by the use of a dissecting microscope of alate aphids taken in aphid traps in Tasmania (Hobart: Department of Agriculture, [1962]), 127 pp. Details
- Martyn, E. J., The ecology of Oncopera intricata Walker and Oncopera rufobrunnea Tindale (Lepidoptera, Hepialidae) with notes on the classification of the genus Oncopera in relation to laval taxonomy (Hobart: Department of Agriculture, 1960), 64 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- McQuillan, Peter, 'Obituary: Ernest J. Martyn (3.iv.1926 - 5.vi.1989)', Myrmecia, 26 (1990), 189-90. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 9 September 2025