Thora Whitehead

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Thora Whitehead
Born(1936-01-27)27 January 1936
Chile
Died30 September 2021(2021-09-30) (aged 85)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Known forConchology

Thora Patricia Whitehead (27 January 1936 – 30 September 2021) was an Australian scientific collector and malacologist. She collected more than 200,000 shell specimens which are now held in the Queensland Museum.

With Kevin Lamprell, Whitehead co-wrote the two-volume Bivalves of Australia.[1] She also edited Lamprell's book, Spondylus: Spiny oyster shells of the world, in 1986.[2]

Whitehead spent over 50 years collecting shells, particularly along the coast of Queensland. She found specimens in mangrove forests and on beaches, rocky outcrops and coral reefs.[3]

In the process of photographing the specimens prior to acquisition of Whitehead's extensive shell collection by the Queensland Museum, its curator John Healy discovered a new species. He named it Amoria thorae in her honour.[4][5]

Born in Chile in 1936,[6] Whitehead died in Brisbane in 2021 aged 85. She was survived by John, her husband of 56 years, and three children.[7]

Legacy[]

A number of species were named in her honour, including Amoria thorae, Callocardia thorae, Conus whiteheadae, Morula whiteheadae, Nassarius whiteheadae and Terebra whiteheadae.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ Lamprell, Kevin; Whitehead, Thora (1992), Bivalves of Australia, Crawford House Press, ISBN 978-1-86333-039-8
  2. ^ Lamprell, Kevin (1986), Whitehead, Thora (ed.), Spondylus: Spiny oyster shells of the world, Robert Brown & Associates, ISBN 978-0-949267-20-7
  3. ^ "New species of mollusk discovered by museum curator". phys.org. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Healy, John (2021). "A new species of Amoria (Gastropoda, Volutidae, Amoriinae) from the mid-east coast of Australia". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature. 62: 1–10. doi:10.17082/j.2204-1478.62.2020.2019-02.
  5. ^ "Shell-shocking rare new species discovered". Scimex. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "BEMON: V & W". www.bemon.loven.gu.se. Retrieved 5 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "WHITEHEAD, Thora Patricia". My Tributes. The Courier-Mail. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Thora P. Whitehead | Shellers From the Past and Present". www.conchology.be. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
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