Trevor H. Worthy

Trevor Henry Worthy (born 3 January 1957) is a Paläozoologe from New Zealand, who became famous for his research work on the moa. For this work he received the nickname "Mr. Moa ".

Life and work

1979 Worthy graduated from the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand Bachelor of Science at the same university in 1981 and a Master of Science degree in the field of limnology. With a thesis on fossil frogs he received his Master of Science degree in paleontology at the Victoria University of Wellington in 1986. The mid- 1980s put the Worthy subfossil remains of three frog species from the primitive family of the New Zealand Urfrösche ( Leiopelmatidae ) free. These were Leiopelma auroraensis, Leiopelma markhami and Leiopelma waitomoensis. In 1991 he discovered in New Zealand, the bone material of the extinct Maori panties Dendroscansor decurvirostris and the fossil petrel Puffinus spelaeus. In 1995, he discovered the bones of the Niue Night Heron ( Nycticorax kalavikai ). In 1998 he spent some time in Fiji, where he exposed the type material of the large flightless pigeon Natunaornis gigoura, the Großfußhuhns Megapodius amissus, the Fiji snipe ( Coenocorypha miratropica ), the giant frog Platymantis megabotoniviti and small freshwater crocodile Volia athollandersoni. The holotype of this species are preserved in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Other notable discoveries in which Worthy was involved include the oldest moa bones, the oldest tuatara bones and a fossil land mammal in the region of Saint Bathans.

Worthy, who worked under contract to the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology in Masterton, Nelson, and since 1991 for the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, had to adjust his research in 2005 for the museum due to the cessation of funding. Since 2005 he works at the University of Adelaide, where he in 2008 his Ph.D. obtained.

Worthy is the co- author of several articles on the prehistoric life in New Zealand. For the book "The Lost Land of the Moa " (2002) he got together with Richard N. Holdaway 2003 by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, the DL Serventy Medal (donated in honor of the Australian ornithologist Dominic Louis Serventy ( 1904-1988 ) ) for an outstanding work of the Australasian avifauna.

2012 Worthy was elected to succeed Gerald Mayr as President of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution. In 2008 he became vice-president of this Organisiation.

Dedikationsnamen

1989 named the malacologist Frank M. Climo the extinct Landlungenschneckenart Zelandiscus worthyi by Trevor H. Worthy, who in 1984 discovered the holotype. Also, as described by Richard Leschen and Birgit Rhode 2002 New Zealand fossil beetle Waitomophylax worthyi bears his name.