Dirk Cornelis Geijskes (16 May 1907 – 27 September 1985) was a Dutch biologist,

ethnologist Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Scien ...

and curator. He was the first director of the

Surinaams Museum The Surinaams Museum is a museum located at Abraham Crijnssenweg 1 in Fort Zeelandia, Paramaribo, Suriname. Description The Surinaams Museum is located inside Fort Zeelandia, the site where British and Dutch colonists first arrived in Suriname ...

. As a biologist, he specialised in

dragonflies A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

. He would lead many expeditions into the

interior Interior may refer to: Arts and media * ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas * ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck * ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See * Interior de ...

of Suriname. In 1967, he became curator at the

Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie The Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (National Museum of Natural History) was a museum on the Rapenburg in Leiden, the Netherlands. It was founded in 1820 by Royal Decree from a merger of several existing collections including Temminck's own ...

where he started the dragonfly collection. Geijskes is the author of 123 publications, and 25

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

have been named after him.

Biography

Geijskes was born on 16 May 1907 in

Kats Kats or KATS may refer to: * KATS, a radio station (94.5 FM) licensed to Yakima, Washington, USA * Kats, Netherlands, a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland * The Kats, a 1970s American band * Korean Agency for Technology and Standards * Kats, ...

, Netherlands. In 1927, he went to

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

to study biology. In 1929, he travelled to

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

to study dragonflies which would become his speciality. Next, he went to the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

, and in 1935 obtained his doctorate

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

for a thesis on the fauna and ecology of the Swiss Jura. In 1936, he first described ''

Brevipalpus phoenicis ''Brevipalpus phoenicis'', also known as the false spider mite, red and black flat mite, and in Australia as the passionvine mite, is a species of mite in the family Tenuipalpidae. This species occurs globally, and is a serious pest to such crops ...

'' which was later discovered to be the main factor for Citrus leprosis disease. In 1938, Geijskes started to work as an

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

for the ''Landbouwproefstation'' (Experimental agricultural station) in Suriname. During his stay in Suriname, Geijskes would lead many expeditions into the interior. In 1939, he went to the

Litany River The Litani River (), the classical Leontes (), is an important water resource in southern Lebanon. The river rises in the fertile Beqaa Valley, west of Baalbek, and empties into the Mediterranean Sea north of Tyre. Exceeding in length, the L ...

to study the poisoned arrows of the

Wayana The Wayana (alternate names: Ajana, Uaiana, Alucuyana, Guaque, Ojana, Oyana, Orcocoyana, Pirixi, Urukuena, Waiano etc.) are a Carib-speaking people located in the southeastern part of the Guiana highlands, a region divided between Brazil, Surin ...

people. In 1941, he participated in the Paroe Savanna expedition to the

Tiriyó people The Tiriyó (also known as Trio) are an Amerindian ethnic group native to parts of northern Brazil, Suriname, and Guyana. In 2014, there were approximately 3,640 Tiriyó in the three countries. They live in several major villages and a number of ...

. In 1943, he embarked on the

Coppename River The Coppename is a river in Suriname (South America) in the district of Sipaliwini, forming part of the boundary between the districts of Coronie and Saramacca. Course The Coppename river begins in the Wilhelmina Mountains. Its tributaries are ...

expedition during which the Tafelberg was climbed for the first time. In 1948 and 1949, he led an expedition from the coastal area across the Nassau Mountains. The expedition collected about 10,000 specimens including 1,500 butterflies. In 1954, Geijskes would become government biologist and the first director of the

. In 1958, he led an expedition to the Tafelberg with

Rudi Kappel Ronald "Rudi" Elwin Kappel (8 November 1926 – 6 October 1959) was a Surinamese pilot. He was one of the founders of ''Luchtvaartbedrijf Kappel-Van Eyck'' which is now called Surinam Airways, the first airline in Suriname. He also helped constru ...

to examine the savannah around the mountain, and investigate whether an

airstrip An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

could be built there. The successful construction of an airstrip led to

Operation Grasshopper Operation Grasshopper was a project to look for natural resources in Suriname from the air. For this project, seven airstrips were constructed in the interior of Suriname from 1959 onward. The project was the brainchild of the Minister of Develop ...

in 1959 which mapped the natural resources in the interior. On 2 May 1965, Geijskes returned for the Netherlands, and in 1967 started to work as curator at the

(nowadays

Naturalis Naturalis Biodiversity Center () is a national museum of natural history and a research center on biodiversity in Leiden, Netherlands. It was named the European Museum of the Year 2021. Although its current name and organization are relatively ...

). where he started the dragonfly collection. In 2015, the collection contained 20,000 species. In the Netherlands, he also would become a member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to various advisory a ...

in 1959 but he resigned in 1965. He would also become and editor of the ''

New West Indian Guide The ''New West Indian Guide'' (''Nieuwe West-Indische Gids'') is a peer-reviewed academic journal founded by the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies. It was established in 1919 by Herman Benjamins and covers rese ...

''. Geijskes died on 27 September 1985 in

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

, at the age of 78.

Legacy and honours

Upon return to the Netherlands, Geijskes became officer in the

Order of Orange Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

. He was awarded a bronze medal by the

Royal Dutch Geographical Society The Royal Dutch Geographical Society ( Dutch:''Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap''; KNAG) is an organization of geographers and those interested in geography in The Netherlands. It has about 4000 members and sponsors lectures on g ...

. Geijskes is the author of 123 publications, and 25

have been named after him. In 1970, the dragonfly genus '' Lauromacromia'' was created by Geijskes. In 2011, it held six species.

References

Sources

* * *

External links

Geijskes at Bionomia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geijskes, Dirk 1907 births 1985 deaths People from Noord-Beveland Dutch biologists Dutch ethnologists Dutch entomologists Dutch curators Surinamese scientists Explorers of South America Leiden University alumni University of Basel alumni Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau