The Fish Department - Research
James Douglas Ogilby
Photo © Australian Museum
1853-1925
Curator of Fishes: 1884-1890
Ogilby published prolifically during his early career. In his first two years at the Australian Museum he published 21 papers.
Throughout his 40 years of research Ogilby published 181 papers.
He described (by himself and in collaboration) 154 new species of fishes. Many of his new species are still valid.
Ogilby registered over 5,000 lots of fishes into the registers in his neat handwriting. At the end of his tenure, the fish collection contained 7,000 specimens.
After his dismissal from the Australian Museum, Ogilby worked at the Queensland Museum and the Amateur Fishermen's Association of Queensland.
Further reading
- Paxton, J.R. & M.A. McGrouther. 1997. A history of the fish collection at the Australian Museum (1860-1968), with a summary of current Australian fish collections. in Pietsch, T.W. & W. Anderson (Eds) Collection building in ichthyology and herpetology. Special Publication of the American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology. Pp. 183-205, 14 figs.
- Strahan, R. et al. 1979. Rare and Curious Specimens. An Illustrated History of the Australian Museum 1827-1979. Australian Museum. Pp. 173.
