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

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

and curator. He was the first director of the Surinaams Museum. 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 true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threaten ...

. 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. This happened on the initi ...

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

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 ...

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, A ...

, Netherlands. In 1927, he went to Leiden University to study biology. In 1929, he travelled to

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

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 university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universitie ...

, 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 So ...

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 cr ...

'' which was later discovered to be the main factor for

Citrus leprosis disease Citrus leprosis (CL) is an economically important viral disease affecting citrus crops. This emerging disease is widely distributed in South and Central America, from Argentina to Mexico. The disease is associated with up to three different non-s ...

. In 1938, Geijskes started to work as an

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 ...

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 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 o ...

. 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 ar ...

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 Nassau Mountains ( nl, Nassaugebergte) is a mountain range in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. It is named after the House of Nassau The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship as ...

. The expedition collected about 10,000 specimens including 1,500 butterflies. In 1954, Geijskes would become government biologist and the first director of the Surinaams Museum. 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 constr ...

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

airstrip An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) 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 publ ...

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 ( nl, Nederlands Centrum voor Biodiversiteit Naturalis) 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. Alt ...

). 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 ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

, 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 resear ...

''. Geijskes died on 27 September 1985 in

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

, 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 ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) 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 ...

. 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 ...

. 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