Perry O. Simons
Perry Oveitt Simons (October 6, 1869 – 1901) was an American scientific collector. He predominantly worked in the Neotropics.
Early life and education
[edit]Simons was born on October 6, 1869, in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, the son of Luther B. Simons (1836–1917) and Laura Simona (née Hollingsworth, later Harreld, 1851–1931).[1][2] In 1886 he left Wisconsin for Riverside, California, where he graduated from Riverside High School in 1893. He spent four years at Stanford University as an electrical engineering major.[3]
While at Stanford, he assisted William W. Price with a scientific collecting expedition near Lake Tahoe, California in the summer of 1896 [4]. He collected bird and mammal specimens that were deposited in a number of museums around the United States, including the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, and the California Academy of Sciences. [5]
Career
[edit]Later, he accompanied William W. Price as a scientific collector in Mexico from 1896 to 1897. He was joined by his brother, Luther. The mammal specimens collected on this 10-month expedition were purchased by the British Museum. British Museum zoologist Oldfield Thomas was so pleased by the quality of the specimens, he offered Simons a job collecting additional specimens in South America. Luther accompanied Perry for the first two years of the expedition before sailing back to San Francisco.[3]
Death
[edit]While crossing the Argentinean Andes around the end of December 1901,[3] Simons was murdered by his guide.[6] The guide struck him in the back of the head before driving a spike through his forehead. His body was found, and it was buried nearby. The motive was said to be robbery, and the guide was captured and imprisoned in Mendoza, Argentina.[3] After Simons's death, Oldfield Thomas called him "the most successful mammal collector that I have ever had to deal with", noting, "we shall not easily find his like again".[7]
Namesake species
[edit]Several species were named after Simons:
Reptiles:[6]
- Simons's whorltail iguana (Stenocercus simonsii)
- Simons's green racer (Philodryas simonsi)
- Simons's sun tegu (Euspondylus simonsii)
Amphibians:[8]
- Paramo robber frog (Pristimantis simonsii)
- Sucre water frog (Telmatobius simonsi)
Birds:[9]
- Puna tapaculo (Scytalopus simonsi)
Mammals:
- Simons's spiny rat (Proechimys simonsi)[10]
Fish:
Another species of reptile in the genus Liolaemus was named L. simonsi after him, though it was found to be a synonym of L. ornatus.[6] The mountain degu was also named after him by Oldfield Thomas in 1902, as Neoctodon simonsi,[12] but the name was later found to be invalid.[13]
References
[edit]- ↑ "End to a Pioneer". The Parsons Sun. Parsons, KS. June 15, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved February 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Mother of Joplin Woman Dies at Oswego". Joplin Globe. Joplin, MO. June 14, 1931. p. 5. Retrieved February 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 "Notes and News". The Auk. 20: 94–96. 1903.
- ↑ Price, William W. (1897). "Description of a New Pine Grosbeak from California". The Auk. 14 (2): 182–186. JSTOR 4068881.
- ↑ https://www.vertnet.org/occurrence/search?q=PO+Simons&eventDate=1890-01-01%2C1896-09-01&country=US&stateProvince=California
- 1 2 3 Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-4214-0227-7. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ↑ Thomas, Oldfield (1902). "XL.—On mammals collected at Cruz del Eje, Central Cordova, by Mr. P. O. Simons". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 9 (52): 237–245. doi:10.1080/00222930208678580.
- ↑ Bo Beolens; Michael Watkins; Michael Grayson (April 22, 2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-907807-44-2.
- ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2014). The Eponym Dictionary of Birds. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 1172. ISBN 9781472905741.
- ↑ Thomas, Oldfield (1900). "XXXVII.—Descriptions of new Rodents from Western South America". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 6 (33): 294–302. doi:10.1080/00222930008678378.
- ↑ Regan, C. Tate (1904). "III. A Monograph of the Fishes of the Family Loricariidae". The Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. 17 (3): 317. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1904.tb00040.x.
- ↑ Thomas, O. (1902). "On Two new Genera of Rodents from the Highlands of Bolivia". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1902. Academic Press, [etc.]: 114–117 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ↑ Thomas, O. (1913). "On small mammals collected in Jujuy by Señor E. Budin". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 11. London: Taylor and Francis: 136–143 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.