Peter Johns (entomologist)
Peter Malcolm Johns | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 June 1935 Wanganui, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Canterbury |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Entomology |
Peter Malcolm Johns (born 3 June 1935) is a New Zealand entomologist and taxonomist who has made significant contributions to the field of entomology. He is a leading expert in various groups, including cockroaches, craneflies, wētā and millipedes.[1][2]
Early life
Born in Wanganui, he is the second son of Malcolm Johns, a surveyor and Hattie Johns, a research assistant.[3] He was educated at Wanganui East Primary School and Wanganui Collegiate School. Johns started attending the University of Canterbury in 1953, majoring in chemistry and zoology.[4] He gained a masters degree in Zoology with a thesis focused on snakeskin chiton.[5]
Career
Johns began lecturing in Zoology at the University of Canterbury in 1959 at the age of 24, and was appointed to a permanent position in 1964 as an assistant lecturer and later as lecturer.[6] Over his 57 year career, Johns interest slowly shifted towards terrestrial invertebrates, eventually amassing a large collection of 140,000 specimens held at Canterbury Museum.[7]
Johns is currently a research fellow at Canterbury Museum and a Fellow of the Entomological Society of New Zealand.[8][9]
Taxa named by Johns
- Celatoblatta (1966)
- Eumastigonus hallelujah (2009)
- Eumastigonus waitahae (2009)
Taxa named in Johns' honour
- Cantuaria johnsi (Forster, 1968)
- Meropathus johnsi (Ordish, 1971) [10]
- Campbellonemertes johnsi (Moore & Gibson, 1972) [11]
- Parisolabis johnsi (Hudson, 1975)
- Nesoperla johnsi (McLellan, 1977) [12]
- Hydrobiosis johnsi (McFarlane, 1981)
- Peterjohnsiidae (Mauriès, 1987)
- Mimopeus johnsi (Watt, 1988) [13]
- Parentia johnsi (Bickel, 1992) [14]
- Kupeharpalus johnsi (Larochelle & Larivière, 2005) [15]
- Lissodesmus johnsi (Mesibov, 2006)
- Nothotrichocera johnsi (Krzeminska, 2006) [16]
- Zalea johnsi (McAlpine, 2007) [17]
- Agathodesmus johnsi (Mesibov, 2009) [18]
Selected works
- Johns, P. M. (1962). "Introduction to the endemic and introduced millipedes of New Zealand." New Zealand Entomologist 3(1): 38-46.[19]
- Johns, P. M. (1964). "Insects of Campbell Island. Chilopoda, Diplopoda (preliminary note on the Myriapoda of the New Zealand subantarctic islands)." Pacific Insects Monograph 7: 170-172.[20]
References
- ^ "'I get bored': the 90-year-old 'bug man' still on the tools". The Press. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ "'Extinct' bug found alive and well in high-country reserve". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ "Fellowship Citations" (PDF). Entomological Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ "Fellowship Citations" (PDF). Entomological Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ Johns, PM (1960). Chiton pelliserpentis (Mollusca : Amphineura) : a study in the taxonomy of a species in relation to its breeding, biology and ecology. University of Canterbury. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ "Fellowship Citations" (PDF). Entomological Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ "Lottery Grant for Internationally-significant Insect Collection". Canterbury Museum. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ "Our researchers". Canterbury Museum. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ "Fellowship of the Society". Entomological Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ Ordish, R.G. (1984). "Hydraenidae (Insecta: Coleoptera)" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 6.
- ^ Moore, J. & Gibson, R. (1972). "On a new genus of freshwater hoplonemertean from Campbell Island". Freshwater Biology. 2 (3): 187–202. Bibcode:1972FrBio...2..187M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.1972.tb00048.x.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ I.D., McLellan (1977). "New alpine and southern plecoptera from New Zealand, and a new classification of the gripopterygidae". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 4 (2): 119–147. doi:10.1080/03014223.1977.9517945.
- ^ Watt, J.C. (1992). "enebrionidae (Insecta: Coleoptera): catalogue of types and keys to taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand / Ko te Aitanga Pepeke O Aote. 26.
- ^ Bickel, D.J. (1991). "ciapodinae, Medeterinae (Insecta: Diptera) with a generic review of the Dolichopodidae" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand/ Ko te Aitanga Pepeke O Aotearoa. 23.
- ^ Larochelle, A., Larivière, M.C (2005). "Harpalini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Carabidae: Harpalinae)" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 53: 160 pp.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Krzemiń, Ewa (2006). "A new species of Nothotrichocera from New Zealand, and a replacement name for the genus Adura (Diptera: Trichoceridae)". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 33 (3): 229–231. doi:10.1080/03014223.2006.9518450.
- ^ McAlpine, David K. (2007). "The surge flies (Diptera: Canacidae: Zaleinae) of Australasia and notes on tethinidcanacid morphology and relationships" (PDF). Records of the Australian Museum. 59 (1): 27–64. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.59.2007.1468.
- ^ Mesibov, R. (2009). "Revision of Agathodesmus Silvestri, 1910 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Haplodesmidae)". ZooKeys (12): 87–110. Bibcode:2009ZooK...12...87M. doi:10.3897/zookeys.12.206.
- ^ Johns, PM (1962). "Introduction to the endemic and introduced millipedes of New Zealand". New Zealand Entomologist. 3 (1): 38–46. Bibcode:1962NZEnt...3...38J. doi:10.1080/00779962.1962.9722813. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ Johns, PM (1964). "Insects of Campbell Island. Chilopoda, Diplopoda (preliminary note on the Myriapoda of the New Zealand subantarctic islands)" (PDF). Pacific Insects Monograph. 7. Retrieved 4 November 2025.