Alpheus Spring Packard Jr. LL.D. (February 19, 1839 – February 14, 1905) was an American

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

and palaeontologist. He described over 500 new animal species – especially butterflies and moths – and was one of the founders of '' The American Naturalist''.Cockerell (1920)

Early life

He was the son of Alpheus Spring Packard Sr. (1798–1884) and the brother of William Alfred Packard. He was born in Brunswick, Maine, and was Professor of

Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

and

Geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

at Brown University in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, from 1878 until his death. He was a vocal proponent of Neo- Lamarckism during the eclipse of Darwinism.Sorenson (1995)

Career & Works

His chief work was the classification and anatomy of

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

s, and contributions to economic

entomology Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

, zoogeography, and the

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spe ...

and metamorphoses of

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s. Packard was appointed to the United States Entomological Commission in 1877 where he served with Charles Valentine Riley and Cyrus Thomas.Mallis (1971) He wrote school textbooks, such as ''Zoölogy for High Schools and Colleges'' (eleventh edition, 1904). His ''Monograph of the Bombycine Moths of North America'' was published in three parts (1895, 1905, 1915, edited by T. D. A. Cockerell). He was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communi ...

in 1878.

Death

He died on February 14, 1905.

Writings

* ''Report on the insects collected on the Penobscot and Alleguash Rivers, during August and September, 1861, Sixth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Maine Board of Agriculture, Augusta, Maine (pp. 373-376)'' (1861) * ''Guide to the Study of Insects'' (1869; third edition, 1872) *
The Mammoth Cave and its Inhabitants
' (1872), with F. W. Putnam * ''Life-History of Animals'' (1876) * ''A Naturalist on the Labrador Coast'' (1891)
''Lamarck, the Founder of Evolution: His Life and Work''
(1901), French translation, 1903. *

Notes

References

* * * * * * *

External links

The entomological writings of Dr. Alpheus Spring Packard
* * *
Gallica
Two works by Packard
Brunoniana
Biography

On the phylogeny of the Lepidoptera. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 18 (465): 228-236 1895. 1839 births 1905 deaths American lepidopterists American naturalists American science writers Harvard University alumni Writers from Brunswick, Maine Appleton family Bowdoin College alumni Lamarckism Brown University faculty {{Paleontologist-stub