Stephen Ernest Thorpe (27 January 1970 – 24 August 2024) was an English-born entomologist in New Zealand. He contributed vast amounts of data and analysis in many contexts, particularly to

iNaturalist iNaturalist is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist may be accessed via its web ...

. Thorpe was a member of the research group that described the

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

genus ''

Neodoxa ''Neodoxa'' is a genus of beetles belonging to the family Staphylinidae. The genus was described by Jan Klimaszewski, John Marris and Stephen Ernest Thorpe in 2003, and is found in New Zealand, Australia and Tonga. Taxonomy The genus was first ...

'' in 2003. In 2011, he helped with describing the New Zealand marsh beetle species '' Stenocyphon neozealandicus'' by recognising the species among unsorted insect specimens at

Auckland War Memorial Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum (), also known as Auckland Museum, is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building constructed in the 1920s and 1950s, stands on Observatory ...

while he was volunteering. Thirteen species were named after Thorpe. Thorpe was murdered on 24 August 2024 during his daily walk to search for insects and plants.

Early life and education

Stephen Ernest Thorpe was born in England on 27 January 1970. He held a degree in chemistry and an MA in philosophy from the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

Career

Thorpe became an independent

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 ...

from the late 1990s. He worked as a Research Associate at the University of Auckland from 2008 to 2011 and did contract work for

Landcare Research Landcare may refer to: * Australian Landcare Council, a former Australian government body, superseded by the National Landcare Advisory Committee * Landcare Australia, an Australian community not-for-profit organisation, involving local volunteers ...

and other organisations. In his latter years he was based at the Whau River Catchment Trust offices at the Blockhouse Bay Tennis Club in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, and had told acquaintances that he thought he was on the

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

spectrum. Thorpe contributed 12,000 specimens to

. He was a part of the research group who described the beetle genus ''

'' in 2003, and in the same year, collected a specimen of gecko from

Muriwai Muriwai, also called Muriwai Beach, is a coastal community on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The black-sand surf beach and surrounding area is a popular recreational area for Aucklanders. The Muriwai ...

that would later become the

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

for the

korowai gecko The korowai gecko (''Woodworthia korowai''), also known as the Muriwai gecko, is a gecko found on the west coast of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. First discovered on Oaia Island in 1954, the species was recognised as distinct from ''Woodw ...

, when the species was formally described in 2023. A new species of New Zealand beetle, ''

Cyparium thorpei ''Cyparium thorpei'' is a species of rove beetle belonging to the family Staphylinidae. The species was first described by Ivan Löbl and Richard A. B. Leschen in 2003, and is endemic to New Zealand. Taxonomy The species was identified by Slov ...

'', was named after him in 2004. In 2011, Thorpe was instrumental in describing the New Zealand marsh

species '' Stenocyphon neozealandicus'', having recognised the species among unsorted insect specimens at Auckland War Memorial Museum as a volunteer. He contributed to

biosecurity in New Zealand Biosecurity in New Zealand guards against threats to agriculture and biodiversity, with strict border control measures being taken to prevent unwanted organisms from entering the country. New Zealand is an island nation that is geographically i ...

by reporting 39 species not previously found in the country to the

Ministry for Primary Industries The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with overseeing, managing and regulating the farming, fishing, food, animal welfare, biosecurity, and forestry sectors of New Zealand's primary ...

. He was a contributor to a number of taxonomic projects, including iNaturalist, Taxacom,

Wikispecies Wikispecies is a wiki-based online project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aim is to create a comprehensive open content catalogue of all species; the project is directed at scientists, rather than at the general public. Jimmy Wales s ...

, and

ZooBank ZooBank is an open access website intended to be the official International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) registry of zoological nomenclature. Any nomenclatural acts (e.g. publications that create or change a taxonomic name) publis ...

Death

On 24 August 2024 Thorpe was murdered by an apparent intruder at the

Blockhouse Bay Blockhouse Bay is a residential suburb in the south west of Auckland, in New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the northern coast of the Manukau Harbour, and is also close to the administrative boundary that existed between Auckland City ...

Tennis Club and recreation area where he used an office for his work as he left on his daily walk to look for insects and plants. Police said that there was a "violent struggle" between Thorpe and his attacker. Thorpe was aged 54 at the time of his death. His only living family was his elderly father who lived in Brisbane. A 26-year-old local man was arrested on 28 August 2024 and charged with the murder. A

karakia Karakia are Māori incantations and prayer used to invoke spiritual guidance and protection.Alloxysta thorpei'' * '' Bocchus thorpei'' * ''

Chorebus thorpei ''Chorebus thorpei'' is a species of parasitoid wasp belonging to the family Braconidae. The species was first described by Jocelyn A. Berry in 2007, and is endemic to New Zealand. Taxonomy The species was identified by Jocelyn A. Berry in 200 ...

'' * '' Cryptoxilos thorpei'' * ''

'' * '' Kaurimyia thorpei'' * ''

Sagola thorpei ''Sagola'' or Sagola may refer to: * '' Sagola'', a genus of beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, disti ...

'' * '' Scorpiurus thorpei'' * '' Sierola thorpei'' * ''

Spathius thorpei ''Spathius thorpei'' is a species of parasitoid wasp belonging to the family Braconidae. The species was first described by Sergey A. Belokobylskij and Andrew D. Austin in 2013, and is endemic to New Zealand. Taxonomy The species was identifi ...

'' * '' Uropoda thorpei'' * '' Zealantha thorpei'' * ''

Zelostemma thorpei ''Zelostemma thorpei'' is a species of parasitoid wasp belonging to the family Platygastridae. First described by Peter Neerup Buhl in 2017, it is endemic to New Zealand. Taxonomy The species was identified by Danish entomologist Peter Neerup ...

Selected publications

* * * * * *

References

External links

* Wikispecies taxon authority page * Wikispecies user page, including a list of his publications
Obituary at iNaturalist NZ
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorpe, Stephen E. 1970 births 2020s murders in New Zealand 2024 crimes in New Zealand 2024 deaths 2024 murders in Oceania 21st-century British biologists 21st-century New Zealand biologists Academic staff of the University of Auckland Deaths by stabbing in New Zealand New Zealand entomologists New Zealand murder victims New Zealand people with disabilities New Zealand Wikimedians People associated with the Auckland War Memorial Museum Autistic people Scientists with disabilities University of Auckland alumni People murdered in New Zealand