Captain
Frederick Wollaston Hutton, FRS, (16 November 1836 – 27 October 1905) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
scientistA scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
who applied the theory of
natural selectionNatural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
to explain the origins and nature of the
natural historyNatural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
of
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Biography
Hutton was born in
Gate BurtonGate Burton, , is a village and civil parish about south east of the town of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England....
,
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and passed through
SouthwellSouthwell is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, best known as the site of Southwell Minster, the seat of the Church of England diocese that covers Nottinghamshire...
Grammar SchoolA grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
and the
Naval AcademyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
at
GosportGosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
,
HampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. He studied
applied scienceApplied science is the application of scientific knowledge transferred into a physical environment. Examples include testing a theoretical model through the use of formal science or solving a practical problem through the use of natural science....
at
King's College LondonKing's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
before being commissioned in the
Royal Welch FusiliersThe Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France...
and fighting in the
Crimean WarThe Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and the
Indian MutinyThe Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
.
Hutton returned to England in 1860, and continued to study
geologyGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
at
SandhurstThe Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, being elected to the
Geological Society of LondonThe Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
in the same year. In 1861, he reviewed
Charles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's
The Origin of SpeciesCharles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, published on 24 November 1859, is a work of scientific literature which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. Its full title was On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the...
for
The Geologist. Throughout his life, Hutton remained a staunch exponent of Darwin's theories of natural selection, and Darwin himself expressed his appreciation in a letter to Hutton.
Hutton married Annie Gouger Montgomerie in 1863, and resigned his commission in 1866 in order to travel with his wife and two children to New Zealand, where four more children would follow. They lived initially in
WaikatoThe Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
, where Hutton tried his hand at
flaxFlax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
milling, but he soon changed back to geology, joining the Geological Survey of New Zealand in 1866 and becoming Provincial Geologist of
OtagoOtago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
in 1874. At the same time, he was made lecturer in geology at the
University of OtagoThe University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
and curator of the museum there. Hutton became professor of biology at
Canterbury CollegeThe University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
in 1880, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1892. The following year, he also took on the curatorship of the Canterbury Museum. Towards the end of his life, Hutton was made president of the
Royal Australasian Ornithologists UnionThe Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...
and the
New Zealand InstituteThe Royal Society of New Zealand , known as the New Zealand Institute before 1933, was established in 1867 to co-ordinate and assist the activities of a number of regional research societies including the Auckland Institute, the Wellington Philosophical Society, the Philosophical Institute of...
. He was awarded the
Clarke MedalThe Clarke Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wales for distinguished work in the Natural sciences.Named in honour of the Reverend William Branwhite Clarke, one of the founders of the Society...
by the
Royal Society of New South WalesThe Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. It was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June 1821...
in 1891.
Hutton died on the return voyage from England on the 27 October 1905, and was
buried at seaBurial at sea describes the procedure of disposing of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship or boat. It is regularly performed by navies, but also can be done by private citizens in many countries.-By religion:...
off
Cape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
,
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He is commemorated in the Hutton Memorial Medal and Research Fund, awarded for scientific works bearing on the
zoologyZoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
,
botanyBotany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
or geology of New Zealand.
Taxa
Taxa described and named by Hutton include:
- Cabalus modestus (Hutton, 1872) – the Chatham Rail
The Chatham Rail is an extinct species of bird in the Rallidae family. It was endemic to New Zealand.Cabalus modestus was endemic to Chatham, Mangere and Pitt Islands, New Zealand. It was first discovered on Mangere in 1871, and 26 specimens collected there are known from museum collections. It...
- Callochiton empleurus
Callochiton empleurus is a species of chiton in the family Callochitonidae.-References:* Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1...
(Hutton, 1872) – a chitonChitons are small to large, primitive marine molluscs in the class Polyplacophora.There are 900 to 1,000 extant species of chitons in the class, which was formerly known as Amphineura....
- Ericentrus rubrus (Hutton, 1872) – the orange clinid
The orange clinid, Ericentrus rubrus, is a weedfish of the genus Ericentrus, found around New Zealand in rock pools and from low water to depths of about 15 m, in reef areas...
- Phosichthys argenteus
Phosichthys argenteus, a lightfish and the only member of the genus Phosichthys, is found in deep subtropical waters of all oceans, from depths of 500 to 2,000 m. Its length is between 10 and 30 cm...
Hutton, 1872 – a lightfishLightfish refers to two groups of bioluminescent fishes:* Family Phosichthyidae.* Bristlemouths in the family Gonostomatidae....
- Stegnaster inflatus
Stegnaster inflatus, or the New Zealand cushion star, is a sea star of the family Echinasteridae, endemic to New Zealand.-References:...
(Hutton, 1872) – a sea starStarfish or sea stars are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "starfish" and "sea star" essentially refer to members of the class Asteroidea...
- Bittium exile
Bittium exile is a species of minute sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc or micromollusc in the family Cerithiidae, the cerithiids. It occurs only in New Zealand....
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snailSnail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
- Colistium guntheri (Hutton, 1873) – the New Zealand brill
The New Zealand brill, Colistium guntheri, is an edible flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish native to shallow seas around New Zealand, at depths of between and . It can grow to in length and can weigh up to .-Identification:...
- Comitas trailli
Comitas trailli is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Turridae, the turrids.-References:* Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1...
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Dendropoma squamifera
Dendropoma squamifera is a species of irregularly-coiled sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails.-References:...
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Dentalium nanum
Dentalium nanum is a tusk shell of the family Dentaliidae, endemic to New Zealand waters....
Hutton, 1873
- Herpetopoma bella
Herpetopoma bella is a species of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chilodontidae....
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Margarella antipoda rosea
Margarella antipoda rosea is a subspecies of marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells.-Description:The size of an adult shell varies between 4 mm and 12 mm.-External links:* -References:...
(Hutton, 1873) – a subspecies of marine snail
- Margarella fulminata
Margarella fulminata is a species of marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. It is a shallow water gastropod, found only in the Chatham Islands of New Zealand.-References:...
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Novastoa lamellosa
Novastoa lamellosa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails.-References:* Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1...
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Pterotyphis eos
Pterotyphis eos is a species of small predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.-Subspecies:A subspecies of this species has been named:...
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Pterotyphis zealandicus
Pterotyphis zealandicus is a species of small predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.-References:...
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Pupa kirki
Pupa kirki is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Acteonidae. It is found in the waters around the North Island of New Zealand.The length is 15 mm....
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Rhombosolea retiaria Hutton, 1873 – the black flounder
The black flounder, Rhombosolea retiaria, is a flatfish of the genus Rhombosolea, found around New Zealand in shallow enclosed waters and coastal freshwater lakes. Their length is from 20 to 45 cm.-References:...
- Scorpis violacea (Hutton, 1873) – the blue maomao
The blue maomao, Scorpis violacea, is a sweep of the genus Scorpis, found around eastern Australia and northern New Zealand to depths of a few metres, over reef areas and off headlands...
- Thoristella chathamensis (Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Trichosirius inornatus
Trichosirius inornatus is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Capulidae, the cap snails.-References:* Powell A. W. B., William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1...
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Uberella vitrea
Uberella vitrea is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Naticidae, the moon snails.-References:* Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1...
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Xymene plebeius
Xymene plebeius is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails....
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Xymene traversi
Xymene traversi is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the rock snails or murex snails.-References:...
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Zeacolpus symmetricus (Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Zeacolpus vittatus
Zeacolpus vittatus is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Turritellidae, the tower snails.-References:...
(Hutton, 1873) – a marine snail
- Jasus edwardsii (Hutton, 1875) – a spiny lobster
Spiny lobsters, also known as langouste or rock lobsters, are a family of about 45 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia...
- Paratrachichthys trailli (Hutton, 1875) – the sandpaper fish
The sandpaper fish or common roughy, Paratrachichthys trailli, is a slimehead belonging to the family Trachichthyidae, found in southern Australia and southern New Zealand at depths of between 50 and 400 m...
or common roughy
- Bidenichthys consobrinus (Hutton, 1876) – the grey brotula
The grey brotula or orange cuskeel, Bidenichthys consobrinus, is a cusk eel of the genus Bidenichthys, found around northern New Zealand.-References:...
or orange cuskeel
- Anomia trigonopsis
Anomia trigonopsis, also known as the New Zealand jingle, is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Anomiidae, the anomiids.-References:...
Hutton, 1877 – a marine bivalveBivalvia is a taxonomic class of marine and freshwater molluscs. This class includes clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, and many other families of molluscs that have two hinged shells...
- Notolabrus cinctus (Hutton, 1877) – the girdled wrasse
The girdled wrasse, Notolabrus cinctus, is a wrasse of the genus Notolabrus, found around the South Island of New Zealand including the Chatham Islands and Snares Islands.-References:...
- Eudyptes filholi Hutton, 1878 – the Eastern Rockhopper Penguin
The Eastern Rockhopper Penguin although genetically differnt is still often considered as a subspecies of the Southern Rockhopper Penguin.-Distribution:...
- Leuconopsis obsoleta
Leuconopsis obsoleta is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Ellobiidae.-References:...
(Hutton, 1878) – a land snail
- Proxiuber australe
Proxiuber australe is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Naticidae, the moon snails or necklace shells.-References:...
(Hutton, 1878) – a marine snail
- Proxiuber hulmei
Proxiuber hulmei is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Naticidae.-References:* Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1...
(Hutton, 1878) – a marine snail
- Thoristella oppressa
Thoristella oppressa is a species of very small sea snail, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Trochidae, the top snails or top shells.-References:* Powell A. W...
(Hutton, 1878) – a land snail
- Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis (Hutton, 1879) – the Macquarie Island Rail
The Macquarie Island Rail, Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis, is an extinct subspecies of the Buff-banded Rail endemic to Macquarie Island, a subantarctic island part of the state of Tasmania, Australia...
- Pseudaneitea papillata
Pseudaneitea papillata is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial gastropod mollusc in the family Athoracophoridae, the leaf-veined slugs.- Further reading :* Burton D. W. Tuatara 9: 87-97....
(Hutton, 1879) – a slugSlug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
- Patelloida corticata
Patelloida corticata is a species of sea snail or true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Lottiidae, the lottia limpets.-References:* Powell A. W. B., William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1...
(Hutton, 1880) – a limpetLimpet is a common name for a number of different kinds of saltwater and freshwater snails ; it is applied to those snails that have a simple shell which is more or less conical in shape, and either is not spirally coiled, or appears not to be coiled in the adult snails.The name limpet is most...
- Latiidae
Latia is a genus of very small, air-breathing freshwater snails or limpets, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Chilinoidea.Latia is the only genus in the family Latiidae....
Hutton, 1882 – a family of freshwater molluscs
- Cytora calva
Cytora calva is a species of very small land snails with an operculum, terrestrial gastropod molluscs in the family Pupinidae....
(Hutton, 1883) – a land snail
- Cytora pallida
Cytora pallida is a species of very small land snails with an operculum, terrestrial gastropod molluscs in the family Pupinidae....
(Hutton, 1883) – a land snail
- Cytora pannosa
Cytora pannosa is a species of very small land snails with an operculum, terrestrial gastropod molluscs in the family Pupinidae....
(Hutton, 1883) – a land snail
- Homalopoma fluctuata
Homalopoma fluctuata is a species of minute sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Colloniidae....
(Hutton, 1883) – a marine snail
- Lamellaria cerebroides
Lamellaria cerebroides is a species of small, slug-like sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Velutinidae.-References:* Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1...
Hutton, 1883 – a marine snail
- Rhytida australis
Rhytida australis is a species of small, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Rhytididae.-Distribution:This species is endemic to Stewart Island in New Zealand.- Life cycle :...
Hutton, 1883 – a land snail
- Rhytida citrina
Rhytida citrina is a species of medium-sized, air-breathing predatory land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the eponymous family Rhytididae.-References:...
Hutton, 1883 – a land snail
- Rhytida patula
Rhytida patula is a species of medium-sized, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Rhytididae.- Life cycle :...
Hutton, 1883 – a land snail
- Fossarina rimata
Fossarina rimata is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top snails....
(Hutton, 1884) – a marine snail
- Micrelenchus caelatus
Micrelenchus caelatus is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Trochidae, the top shells. It is restricted in distribution to New Zealand.-Subspecies:The following subspecies have been named:...
(Hutton, 1884) – a marine snail
- Otoconcha
Otoconcha is a genus of small air-breathing semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Charopidae.Otoconcha is the type genus of the subfamily Otoconchinae.- Description :...
Hutton, 1884 – a land snail genus
- Leuconopsis
Leuconopsis is a genus of minute air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Ellobiidae.-References:*...
Hutton, 1884 – a land snail genus
- Microvoluta marginata
Microvoluta marginata is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Volutomitridae, the mitres. It is only known to occur in New Zealand.- Further reading :...
(Hutton, 1885) – a marine snail
- Powelliphanta lignaria
Powelliphanta lignaria, known as one of the amber snails, is a species of large, carnivorous land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Rhytididae. The eggs of P. lignaria are oval and seldom constant in dimensions 10 × 8.25, 9 × 7.75, 9 × 8, 8.75 × 7.75 mm.P. lignaria...
(Hutton, 1888) – a land snail
- Argosarchus Hutton, 1898 – a stick insect genus
- Paprides armillaus
Sigaus australis is the most common alpine grasshopper found in New Zealand. It can be found in the lower half of the South Island, from the Otago and Canterbury Region. S. australis was described in 1897 by Frederick Wollaston Hutton. Like all of New Zealand sub-alpine and alpine grasshoppers S....
(Hutton, 1897) - a alpine grasshopper
- Paprides australis
Sigaus australis is the most common alpine grasshopper found in New Zealand. It can be found in the lower half of the South Island, from the Otago and Canterbury Region. S. australis was described in 1897 by Frederick Wollaston Hutton. Like all of New Zealand sub-alpine and alpine grasshoppers S....
(Hutton, 1897) - a alpine grasshopper
- Paprides torquatus
Sigaus australis is the most common alpine grasshopper found in New Zealand. It can be found in the lower half of the South Island, from the Otago and Canterbury Region. S. australis was described in 1897 by Frederick Wollaston Hutton. Like all of New Zealand sub-alpine and alpine grasshoppers S....
(Hutton, 1897) - a alpine grasshopper
Hutton's publications