Anthony Whitaker

Anthony Hume Whitaker (5 September 1944 – 20 February 2014) was a New Zealand herpetologist, contributing a 50-year career of fieldwork, pioneering research and species discoveries. His is still the largest collection of reptile and amphibian specimens donated to Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Biography

Born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, on 5 September 1944, Whitaker emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1951, and became a naturalised New Zealander in 1976. He grew up in Upper Hutt, attending St. Patrick's College, Silverstream, and later gaining his Bachelor of Science degree majoring in zoology from Victoria University of Wellington in 1966. He married and fathered two children, and lived in Motueka for much of his life.

Herpetology work

Whitaker's passion for reptiles was evident from an early age, collecting early specimens of skink while growing up in Upper Hutt. While on a family holiday in the Marlborough Sounds, the 12-year-old Whitaker had gone out to look for geckos. Upon learning of his interest, a publican in Saint Arnaud gave him a jar of geckos pickled in vodka. He remarked at the time that one of his greatest achievements had been to recognise early on the predatory threat that rats pose to native reptile species, confirmed by later research and pest eradication programmes.

Whitaker has one species of skink named after him, Oligosoma whitakeri (Whitaker's skink), and by himself he named one species Mokopirirakau kahutarae, Whitaker's sticky-toed gecko or the black-eyed gecko. As co-author, he has participated in describing and naming approximately two dozen other new species of reptiles: Bavayia exsuccida, Bavayia goroensis, Bavayia pulchella, Caledoniscincus constellatus, Caledoniscincus pelletieri, Correlophus belepensis, Dierogekko baaba, Dierogekko inexpectatus, Dierogekko insularis, Dierogekko kaalaensis, Dierogekko koniambo, Dierogekko nehoueensis, Dierogekko poumensis, Dierogekko thomaswhitei, Eurydactylodes occidentalis, Kanakysaurus viviparus, Kanakysaurus zebratus, Lioscincus vivae, Marmorosphax boulinda, Marmorosphax kaala, Marmorosphax taom, Mniarogekko jalu, Nannoscincus koniambo, Nannoscincus manautei, Oligosoma hoparatea, Phaeoscincus taomensis, Phasmasaurus maruia, and Sigaloseps pisinnus. In addition, his specimen collection has provided holotypes for several other species, including the skinks Oligosoma chloronoton, Oligosoma stenotis, Oligosoma longipes, and Oligosoma townsi.

Published works

Non-fiction books