Joyce Ravina Richardson (née Richards; 14 July 1923 – 13 October 2019) was a New Zealand

palaeontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

. She specialised in the study of

brachiopods Brachiopods (), phylum Brachiopoda, are a phylum of animals that have hard "valves" (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, while the fron ...

in both New Zealand and Australia.

Biography

Joyce Ravina Richards was born in New Zealand on 14 July 1923. She studied zoology at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

and won the Parker Memorial Prize in 1945. She graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1946, and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in 1949. In early 1949, she moved to Australia to take up a position at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. She completed a PhD there in 1958 for her thesis, ''The cainozoic terebratuloid and terebratelloid brachiopoda of Australia''. She subsequently worked for the

National Museum of Victoria National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

, before returning to New Zealand to take up a position at the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute. In 1977, Richardson won a grant from ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

'' to undertake an expedition to study brachiopods in the waters surrounding

Stewart Island Stewart Island (, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura, formerly New Leinster) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a la ...

. The team included divers and oceanographers, and spent eight days aboard the 76-foot ''Acheron''. Specimens collected were provided to 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 ...

and other museums. Following her retirement, Richardson returned to Australia where she volunteered at the National Museum of Victoria and continued her work on brachiopods. She also served as honorary librarian for the

Royal Society of Victoria The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) is the oldest scientific society in Victoria, Australia. Foundation In 1854 two organisations formed with similar aims and membership, these being the Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science (found ...

. In her 1987 paper, "Brachiopods from Carbonate Sands of the Australian Shelf", Richardson described three new genera, '' Anakinetica,'' ''

Aulites ''Aulites'' is a genus of brachiopods belonging to the family Cryptoporidae. The species of this genus are found in Australia, and were first described by Agnes Crane. Species: *''Aulites brazieri'' *''Aulites crosnieri'' References

...

'' and '' Parakinetica,'' and two new species, ''Parakinetica'' ''stewartii'' and ''Magadinella mineuri.'' The last was named in honour of her colleague, Rudi Mineur. Richardson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Victoria in 2004. She died on 13 October 2019, at the age of 96.

Selected publications

* * * J. R. Richardson (March 1987). "Brachiopods from Carbonate Sands of the Australian Shelf". ''Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria'', vol. 99, no. 1: 37–50. *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Joyce 1923 births 2019 deaths University of Otago alumni University of Melbourne alumni New Zealand zoologists New Zealand paleontologists