Zhao Ermi (; 1930 – 24 December 2016) was a Chinese

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning " reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and r ...

, born in

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

. His ancestors were

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and Q ...

Bannerman of

Irgen Gioro Irgen Gioro (; ) is a Manchu family name, Manchu clan and family name, which was officially categorized as a "notable clan", and member of the eight great houses of the Manchu people, Manchu nobility in Qing dynasty. Sibe people, Sibe and Nanai ...

clan who were stationed in Chengdu during

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. He was elected a member of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Repub ...

in 2001. He died at

West China Medical Center of Sichuan University The West China Medical Center, Sichuan University ( zh, s=四川大学华西医学中心), formerly the West China University of Medical Sciences ( zh, t=華西醫科大學, s=华西医科大学, first=t), is a prestigious world-class public resea ...

on 24 December 2016.

Taxa named after him

Zhao is commemorated in the

scientific names In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

of four

taxa In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

of reptiles. *''

Zhaoermia ''Protobothrops mangshanensis'', commonly known as the Mangshan pit viper, Mangshan pitviper, Mt. Mang pitviper, or Mang Mountain pitviper,Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. ''Asian Pitvipers''. Geitje Books. Berlin. ...

'' , a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

pitviper The Crotalinae, commonly known as pit vipers,Mehrtens JM (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . crotaline snakes (from grc, κρόταλον ''krotalon'' castanet), or pit adders, are a subf ...

(

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are al ...

of ''Protobothrops'') *''

Cyrtodactylus zhaoermii ''Cyrtodactylus zhaoermii'' is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Etymology The specific name, ''zhaoermii'', is in honor of Chinese herpetologist Zhao Er-M ...

'' , a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

*''

Diploderma zhaoermii ''Diploderma zhaoermii'' is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Sichuan, China. Etymology The specific name, ''zhaoermii'', is in honor of Chinese herpetologist Zhao Er-mi. Geographic range ''D. zhaoermii'' ...

'' , a species of lizard *''

Thermophis zhaoermii ''Thermophis zhaoermii'', the Sichuan hot-spring keelback, is a species of snake in the family, Colubridae Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake ...

'' , a species of snake Also, two amphibian species have been named after him. ("Ermi Zhao", p. 65, ). *''Paramesotriton ermizhaoi'' , a species of

newt A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aqua ...

(synonym of ''

Paramesotriton labiatus ''Paramesotriton labiatus'' is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to Guangxi, China. In literature prior to 2011, this species may have been confused with ''Paramesotriton chinensis'', '' Pachytriton granulosus'', or ' ...

'') *''

Onychodactylus zhaoermii The genus ''Onychodactylus'', commonly known as clawed salamanders, is composed of three species, all endemic to eastern Asia. ''O. fischeri'' is found on the Korean peninsula, as well as in the Russian Far East and adjacent regions of China. ''O ...

'' , a species of

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

Described taxa

*''

Achalinus meiguensis ''Achalinus meiguensis'', commonly known as the Sichuan odd-scaled snake or Szechwan odd-scaled snake, is a species of snake in the family Xenodermatidae. The species is endemic to China and occurs in western Sichuan and Yunnan Yunnan , ...

'' *'' Amolops liangshanensis'' *''

Amphiesma optatum Amphiesma is a genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. They are found across Asia. Species * '' Amphiesma stolatum'' (Linnaeus, 1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) ...

'' *''

Calotes medogensis ''Calotes medogensis'', the Medog bloodsucker, is a species of agamid lizard. It is endemic to Medog County of Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the tra ...

'' *''

Cuora zhoui Zhou's box turtle (''Cuora zhoui'') is a species of turtle in the family (biology), family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae). The species is apparently Endemism, endemic to China. Etymology The Specific name (zoology), specific name, ''zhoui'', ...

'' *''

Cyrtopodion medogense ''Cyrtopodion medogense'' is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to western China. Geographic range ''C. medogense'' is found in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Reproduction ''C. medogense'' is ...

'' *'' Dinodon rosozonatum'' *''

Gloydius shedaoensis :''Common names: Shedao island pitviper,Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. ''Asian Pitvipers''. GeitjeBooks. Berlin. 1st Edition. 368 pp. . Shedao pit-viper.Shine R, Sun L, Kearney M, Fitzgerald M. 2002. Why do Juvenile ...

'' *''

Hebius metusia The Wa Shan keelback (''Hebius metusia'') is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. Geographic range and conservation status The snake is found in Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized a ...

'' *''

Ingerana reticulata ''Ingerana reticulata'' is a species of frog in the family Dicroglossidae. As presently known, it is endemic to Mêdog County in southeastern Tibet, China, but its range might extend to northeast India, given the proximity of the border. Common n ...

'' *''Kurixalus hainanus'' (

of ''

Kurixalus bisacculus ''Kurixalus bisacculus'' (common name: Taylor's tree frog and many others) is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is found in Southeast Asia and southern China. Because of confusion with other species ('' Kurixalus odontotarsus'', ...

'') *''

Laudakia papenfussi ''Laudakia papenfussi'', also known as Papenfuss's rock agama, is a species of agamid lizard. It is found in Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the tradi ...

'' *'' Laudakia wui'' *''

Liua ''Liua'' is a genus of salamanders (common name: Sichuan salamanders) in the family Hynobiidae, endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or oth ...

'' *''

Liuixalus ''Romerus'' is a small genus of rhacophorid frogs that are distributed in southern China (Hong Kong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong). Some species now in ''Romerus'' were originally placed in ''Philautus''. It is thought to be the most basal genus ...

'' *'' Oligodon multizonatus'' *''

Opisthotropis cheni ''Opisthotropis cheni'' is a species of natricine snake found in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, ...

'' *'' Opisthotropis guangxiensis'' *''

Oreolalax multipunctatus ''Oreolalax multipunctatus'' (dotted lazy toad or spotted toothed toad) is a species of amphibian in the family Megophryidae. It is endemic to the Mount Emei region in Emeishan and Hongya counties of Sichuan, China China, officiall ...

'' *''

Pelophylax tenggerensis ''Pelophylax tenggerensis'' is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is Endemism, endemic to China. It is recorded from Shapotou and Shenjiatan, Yinnan Prefecture, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, along the banks of the Yellow River at the e ...

'' *'' Phrynocephalus albolineatus'' *'' Plagiopholis unipostocularis'' *''

Plestiodon liui ''Plestiodon liui'' is a species of lizard which is endemic to China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, ...

'' *'' Protobothrops xiangchengensis'' *''

Rana zhengi ''Rana zhengi'' is a species of frog in the family RanidaeMyers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2021. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed at https://animaldiversity.org. that is endemic to Sichuan ...

'' *''

Rhabdophis adleri ''Rhabdophis adleri'' is a species of keelback snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to China. Etymology The specific name, ''adleri'', is in honor of American herpetologist Kraig Adler. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayso ...

'' *''

Scincella huanrenensis ''Scincella huanrenensis'' is a species of skink found in Liaoning in Northeast China and in Korea. The specific name refers to its type locality, Huanren County Huanren Manchu Autonomous County (, Manchu: ; Mölendroff: huwanren manju beye ...

'' *''

Scincella tsinlingensis ''Scincella tsinlingensis'' is a species of skink found in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slight ...

'' *'' Viridovipera medoensis'' *'' Xenopeltis hainanensis'' *''

Protobothrops mangshanensis ''Protobothrops mangshanensis'', commonly known as the Mangshan pit viper, Mangshan pitviper, Mt. Mang pitviper, or Mang Mountain pitviper,Gumprecht A, Tillack F, Orlov NL, Captain A, Ryabov S. 2004. ''Asian Pitvipers''. Geitje Books. Berlin. ...

References

1930 births 2016 deaths Biologists from Sichuan Chinese zoologists Irgen Gioro Manchu people Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences People from Chengdu People of the Republic of China {{zoologist-stub