| Merlin Owen Pasco | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1892 Kumara, New Zealand |
| Died | 6 August 1918 Corbie, France |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Resting place | La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Other names | Merlin Owen Pascoe |
| Citizenship | New Zealand |
| Known for | Discovering new species in New Zealand. |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Entomology |
Merlin Owen Pasco (1892 – 6 August 1918) was a New Zealand entomologist. Pasco discovered several species of moth previously unknown to science and collected numerous specimens.
Early life and collecting
Pasco was born in Kumara and moved to Queenstown as a child. An amateur entomologist, Pasco created a significant collection of New Zealand lepidoptera in the early 1900s. His collection was particularly notable as it contained specimens collected in and around Queenstown and included type specimens of numerous moth species. Pasco was one of the most productive collectors of type specimens of beetle species described by Thomas Broun. Broun acknowledged the research assistance Pasco gave him and named the beetle species Pterostichus pascoi in Pasco's honour. However this species name was subsequently synonymised by Everard Baldwin Britton and this beetle is now known as Megadromus sandageri. Pasco was the first entomologist to collect on Tooth Peaks, Wakatipu in Otago.
Species discovered by Pasco
- Aponotoreas dissimilis (Philpott, 1914)
- Tatosoma fasciata Philpott 1914
- Chloroclystis magnimaculata Philpott 1915
- Declana sinuosa Philpott 1915
- Orocrambus cultus Philpott 1917
WW1 service and death
At the commencement of World War One, Pasco volunteered to serve in the New Zealand Armed Forces but was turned down. He then travelled to Australia and joined the Australian 2nd Division. He served with the Division in Egypt, Gallipoli, and then in France. Pasco was killed in action near the village of Corbie in France on the 6 August 1918. He was 25 years old when he died. Pasco is buried at the La Neuville British Cemetery, Corbie.
Eponyms
Several species were named in honour of Pasco in recognition of his collecting efforts. These species include Scoparia pascoella and Meterana pascoei.
References
- ^ "Roll of Honour. Killed in Action. Quarter-master Merlin Owen Pascoe". Lake Wakatip Mail. No. 3302. 27 August 1918. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ Dugdale, JS (1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 14: 1–264. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- Watt, J. C. (March 1977). "Conservation and type localities of New Zealand Coleoptera, and notes on collectors 1770–1920". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 7 (1): 79–91. Bibcode:1977JRSNZ...7...79W. doi:10.1080/03036758.1977.10419338.
- Broun, Thomas (1923). "Descriptions of new genera and species of Coleoptera". New Zealand Institute Bulletin (1 (pt. 1–8)): 275. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.12470. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- Larochelle, A.; Larivière, M.-C. (2001). "Carabidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) catalogue" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 43: 107. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ Philpott, Alfred (1920). "Notes and Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 52: 43–44. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ Philpott, Alfred (1913). "Descriptions of New Species of Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 46: 118–121. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- ^ Philpott, Alfred (1915). "Descriptions of New Species of Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 47: 192–201. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- Philpott, A. (1917). "Descriptions of new species of Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 49: 239–245 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- "1511 Sapper Pasco, Merlin Owen". Australian War Memorial. Government of Australia. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
- "Merlin Owen Pasco". www.nzwargraves.org. New Zealand War Graves Project Trust. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- Howes, William George (1912). "New Species of Lepidoptera, and Notes on Larvae and Pupae of New Zealand Butterflies". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 44: 205–206. Retrieved 6 June 2016.