Joseph Jackson Lister (naturalist)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Jackson Lister FRS (1857–1927) was a British
zoologist
and plant collector from Leytonstone
who collected biological specimens during travels in Africa
, Asia
, Australasia
and the Pacific region.
Lister attended St John's College, Cambridge
where he was appointed Demonstrator in Animal Morphology in 1881, and Senior Lecturer in Animal Morphology in 1892. During 1887-1888 he also served as volunteer naturalist on the surveying
voyage of HMS Egeria
to Christmas Island
in the Indian Ocean
, where he made valuable collections, and to the Pacific. He is commemorated in the specific epithet of an orchid (Phreatia listeri
), Lister's Palm (Arenga listeri
), the Christmas Island Lantern Flower (Abutilon listeri
), and Lister's Gecko (Lepidodactylus listeri
).
He is also featured on a 1978 postage stamp
of Christmas Island together with Lister's Palm.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1900. His application stated: "Demonstrator of Comparative Anatomy in the University of Cambridge. Distinguished as a Zoologist. Was Naturaliston board HMS 'Egeria' in two cruises, one to Christmas Island (Indian Ocean), the fauna of which he was the first to investigate, and another in the Pacific amongst the Tonga, Union, and Phoenix Islands, during which he made himself well acquainted with the fauna of those islands, and of the Seychelles. His researches on the Foraminifera have thrown important light on the life-history and reproduction of that group. Author of the following papers: - 'On the Natural History of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean' (Proc Zool Soc, 1888, p 512); 'On some Points in the Natural History of Fungia' (Quart Journ Micros Soc, Vol xxix, p 359); 'A Visit to the Newly-Emerged Falcon Island, Tonga Group, S Pacific' (Proc Roy Geograph Soc, March, 1890); 'Notes on the Birds of the Phoenix Islands, Pacific Ocean' (Proc Zool Soc, 1891, p 289); 'Notes on the Natives of Fakaofu (Bowditch Island), Union Group' (Journ Anthrop Inst, 1891, p 43); 'Notes on the Geology of the Tonga Island' (Quart Journ Geol Soc, vol xlvii, p 590); 'Contributions to the Life-History of the Foraminifera' (Abstract, (Proc Roy Soc, vol lvi, p 155. Full paper, Phil Trans, vol clxxxvi, 1895B, p 401); 'A Possible Explanation of the Quinqueloculine Arrangement of the Chambers in the Young of the Microspheric Forms of Triloculina and Biloculina' (Proc Camb Phil Soc, vol ix, pt v); with J J Fletcher, 'On the Condition of the Median Portion of the Vaginal Apparatus in the 'Macropodidae (Proc Zool Soc, vol lxiii, 1881, p 976). "
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
zoologist
Zoology
Zoology |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...
and plant collector from Leytonstone
Leytonstone
Leytonstone is an area of east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is a high density suburban area, located seven miles north east of Charing Cross in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Essex...
who collected biological specimens during travels in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
and the Pacific region.
Lister attended St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
where he was appointed Demonstrator in Animal Morphology in 1881, and Senior Lecturer in Animal Morphology in 1892. During 1887-1888 he also served as volunteer naturalist on the surveying
Hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/drilling and related disciplines. Strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, sea floor and submerged...
voyage of HMS Egeria
HMS Egeria (1873)
HMS Egeria was a 4-gun screw sloop of the Fantome class launched at Pembroke on 1 November 1873. She was named after Egeria, a water nymph of Roman mythology, and was the second ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name...
to Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, where he made valuable collections, and to the Pacific. He is commemorated in the specific epithet of an orchid (Phreatia listeri
Phreatia listeri
Phreatia listeri is a species of epiphytic orchid. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean. Its specific epithet honours British zoologist and plant collector Joseph Jackson Lister, who visited the island on HMS Egeria in...
), Lister's Palm (Arenga listeri
Arenga listeri
Arenga listeri, the Lister's Palm, is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family. It is named after naturalist Joseph Jackson Lister.It is endemic to Christmas Island and is threatened by habitat loss....
), the Christmas Island Lantern Flower (Abutilon listeri
Abutilon listeri
Abutilon listeri , commonly known as the Lantern Flower, is a tropical shrub in the Malvaceae or mallow family. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean...
), and Lister's Gecko (Lepidodactylus listeri
Lepidodactylus listeri
Lepidodactylus listeri, commonly known as Lister's Gecko or the Christmas Island Gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to Christmas Island. It is named after naturalist Joseph Jackson Lister.-Description and Habitat :...
).
He is also featured on a 1978 postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
of Christmas Island together with Lister's Palm.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1900. His application stated: "Demonstrator of Comparative Anatomy in the University of Cambridge. Distinguished as a Zoologist. Was Naturaliston board HMS 'Egeria' in two cruises, one to Christmas Island (Indian Ocean), the fauna of which he was the first to investigate, and another in the Pacific amongst the Tonga, Union, and Phoenix Islands, during which he made himself well acquainted with the fauna of those islands, and of the Seychelles. His researches on the Foraminifera have thrown important light on the life-history and reproduction of that group. Author of the following papers: - 'On the Natural History of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean' (Proc Zool Soc, 1888, p 512); 'On some Points in the Natural History of Fungia' (Quart Journ Micros Soc, Vol xxix, p 359); 'A Visit to the Newly-Emerged Falcon Island, Tonga Group, S Pacific' (Proc Roy Geograph Soc, March, 1890); 'Notes on the Birds of the Phoenix Islands, Pacific Ocean' (Proc Zool Soc, 1891, p 289); 'Notes on the Natives of Fakaofu (Bowditch Island), Union Group' (Journ Anthrop Inst, 1891, p 43); 'Notes on the Geology of the Tonga Island' (Quart Journ Geol Soc, vol xlvii, p 590); 'Contributions to the Life-History of the Foraminifera' (Abstract, (Proc Roy Soc, vol lvi, p 155. Full paper, Phil Trans, vol clxxxvi, 1895B, p 401); 'A Possible Explanation of the Quinqueloculine Arrangement of the Chambers in the Young of the Microspheric Forms of Triloculina and Biloculina' (Proc Camb Phil Soc, vol ix, pt v); with J J Fletcher, 'On the Condition of the Median Portion of the Vaginal Apparatus in the 'Macropodidae (Proc Zool Soc, vol lxiii, 1881, p 976). "