Ryuichi Matsuda (July 8, 1920 – June 19, 1986) was a Japanese

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 ...

. He obtained his PhD in entomology from Stanford University. He worked at the Biosystematics Research Institute of Canada.Scheiner, Samuel M. (2004)
"The Metamorphosis of Evo-Devo"
''

BioScience ''BioScience'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal that is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. It was established in 1964 and was preceded by the ''AIBS Bulletin'' (1951–19 ...

''. Vol. 54, No. 12. pp. 1150-1151. He wrote several works on the comparative

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

of insects. He is most well known for his controversial book ''Animal Evolution in Changing Environments'' (1987). He coined the term "pan-environmentalism" for his evolutionary theory which he saw as a fusion of

Darwinism Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that ...

with

neo-Lamarckism Lamarckism, also known as Lamarckian inheritance or neo-Lamarckism, is the notion that an organism can pass on to its offspring physical characteristics that the parent organism acquired through use or disuse during its lifetime. It is also calle ...

. He held that

heterochrony In evolutionary developmental biology, heterochrony is any genetically controlled difference in the timing, rate, or duration of a developmental process in an organism compared to its ancestors or other organisms. This leads to changes in the si ...

is a main mechanism for evolutionary change and that novelty in evolution can be generated by

genetic assimilation Genetic assimilation is a process described by Conrad H. Waddington by which a phenotype originally produced in response to an environmental condition, such as exposure to a teratogen, later becomes genetically encoded via artificial selection ...

.Pearson, Roy Douglas. (1988). ''Animal Evolution in Changing Environments''. ''

Acta Biotheoretica ''Acta Biotheoretica: Mathematical and philosophical foundations of biological and biomedical science'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. It is the official journal of the Jan van der Hoe ...

'' 37: 31-36.Shapiro, Arthur M. (1988). ''Animal Evolution in Changing Environments''. ''Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society'' 42: 146-147. His views were criticized by

Arthur M. Shapiro Arthur M. Shapiro (born January 6, 1946) is a professor of evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis. He graduated with an AB in biology from University of Pennsylvania and completed his PhD in Entomology at Cornell Corn ...

for providing no solid evidence for his theory. Shapiro noted that "Matsuda himself accepts too much at face value and is prone to wish-fulfilling interpretation." Interest in Matsuda's research was revived by

Brian K. Hall Brian Keith Hall (born 1941) is the George S. Campbell Professor of Biology and University Research Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hall has researched and extensively written on bone and cartilage formation ...

, Gerd B. Müller and others in the volume ''Environment, Development, and Evolution: Toward a Synthesis'' (2004) which was a tribute to his ideas.

Publications

*''Morphology and Evolution of the Insect Head'' (1965) *''Morphology and Evolution of the Insect Thorax'' (1970) * ''Morphology and Evolution of the Insect Abdomen, with Special Reference to Developmental Patterns and their Bearings on Systematics'' (1976) *''Animal Evolution in Changing Environments: With Special Reference to Abnormal Metamorphosis'' (1987)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsuda, Ryuichi 1920 births 1986 deaths Japanese entomologists Lamarckism Stanford University alumni 20th-century Japanese zoologists Japanese expatriates in the United States

Publications

Further reading

References