Ernest Albert Lachner (3 April 1915,

New Castle, Pennsylvania New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Shenango River at the mouth of Neshannock Creek, it is northwest of Pittsburgh near the Pennsylvania–Ohio border, approximately so ...

– 7 January 1996,

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...

) was an American ichthyologist with an international reputation for his research on Indo-Pacific

gobies Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising over 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than in length, and the fam ...

and

cardinalfishes Cardinalfishes are a family, Apogonidae, of ray-finned fishes found in the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, and Pacific Ocean, Pacific Oceans; they are chiefly marine, but some species are found in brackish water and a few (notably ...

Biography

Lachner graduated with a bachelor's degree from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

. While enrolled in college, he went to Mexico and participated in biological and geographical surveys there. By 1939, he worked on New York State ichthyological surveys. During WW II he served as a master sergeant in the United States Army Force. As an oceanographic observer, he flew on

B-25 The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served ...

s in weather reconnaissance missions over the Indian Ocean. In 1946 he graduated with a Ph.D. in zoology from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

. Beginning in 1949, Lachner was employed for 34 years by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

as a curator of fishes at the

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. With 4.4 ...

. He retired in 1983 as curator emeritus. Lachner was the author or co-author of 85 scientific reports on ichthyology and related issues in museum curation. He was awarded Guggenheim Fellowships in 1955 and 1959. He participated in Cruise 4B of the research vessel ''Anton Bruun''. The purpose of the cruise, which lasted from early November to mid-December in 1962, was "to evaluate the relative distribution and abundance of benthic organisms inhabiting the continental shelf and uppoer slope of the Arabian Sea."

Taxon described by him

*See :Taxa named by Ernest A. Lachner *He named ''

Eviota albolineata ''Eviota albolineata'', commonly called spotted fringefin goby or whitelined eviota among various other vernacular names, is a species of marine fish in the family Gobiidae. This species is restricted to the Society Islands, Line Islands and Tua ...

'', commonly called spotted fringefin goby or whitelined eviota.

Taxon named in his honor

'' Lachneratus phasmaticus'' and at least four other fish species have been named in his honor. The Tombigbee darter ''Etheostoma lachneri'' is named in his honor. ''

Mesogobio lachneri ''Mesogobio lachneri''the Yalu River gudgeon, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gobionidae, the gudgeons. It is endemic to the Yalu River The Yalu River () or Amnok River () is a river on the border between ...

'' Bănărescu &

Nalbant Nalbant is a commune in Tulcea County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Nalbant, Nicolae Bălcescu (since 1948; until 1923 ''Bașchioi''; '' Principele Mihai'' from 1923 to 1948) and Trestenic. The commune's name comes ...

1973 was also named after him. The Goby '' Sueviota lachneri'' R. Winterbottom & Hoese, 1988 is named for him.Winterbottom, R. and D.F. Hoese, 1998. A new genus and four new species of fishes from the Indo-West Pacific (Pisces; Perciformes; Gobiidae), with comments on relationships. R. Ont. Mus. Life Sci. Occas. Pap. (37):1-17.

Death

Upon his death he was survived by his widow, Anna Mary Lachner, two daughters, a son, and four grandchildren. Another son died at age 10.

Selected publications

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

* (taxon names authored by Lachner) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lachner, Ernest A. 1915 births 1996 deaths American ichthyologists American curators 20th-century American zoologists Pennsylvania State University alumni Cornell University alumni People from New Castle, Pennsylvania Smithsonian Institution people