Mary Jane Rathbun (June 11, 1860 – April 4, 1943) was an American zoologist who specialized in crustaceans. She worked at the Smithsonian Institution from 1884 until her death. She described more than a thousand new species and subspecies and many higher taxa.

Biography

Mary Jane Rathbun was born on June 11, 1860, in Buffalo, New York, the youngest of five children of Charles Rathbun and Jane Furey. Her mother died when she was only one year old, and Mary was therefore "thrown on her own resources." She was educated in Buffalo, graduating in 1878, but never attended college. at the age of 82, from complications associated with a broken hip. and the tanner crab, Chionoecetes bairdi.

Taxa

A number of taxa have been named in honor of Mary J. Rathbun:

  • Hamatoscalpellum rathbunae <small>(Pilsbry, 1907)</small>
  • Maera rathbunae <small>Pearse, 1908</small>
  • Paromola rathbuni <small>Porter Mosso, 1908</small>
  • Synalphaeus rathbunae <small>Coutiere, 1909</small>
  • Candidiopotamon rathbunae <small>De Man, 1914</small>
  • Pasiphaea rathbunae <small>(Stebbing, 1914)</small>
  • Petrolisthes rathbunae <small>Schmitt, 1916</small>
  • Periclimenes rathbunae <small>Schmitt, 1924</small>
  • Alpheus rathbunae <small>(Schmitt, 1924)</small>
  • Campylonotus rathbunae <small>Schmitt, 1926</small>
  • Callinectes rathbunae <small>Contreras, 1930</small>
  • Eriosachila rathbunae <small>Maury, 1930</small>
  • Tritodynamia rathbunae <small>Shen, 1932</small>
  • Sacculina rathbunae <small>Boschma, 1933</small>
  • Pinnixa rathbunae <small>Sakai, 1934</small>
  • Emerita rathbunae <small>Schmitt, 1935</small>
  • Callianassa rathbunae <small>Schmitt, 1935</small>
  • Solenocera rathbunae <small>Ramadan, 1938</small>
  • Thunor rathbunae <small>Armstrong, 1949</small>
  • Lysmata rathbunae <small>Chace, 1970</small>
  • Xanthias rathbunae <small>Takeda, 1976</small>
  • Cyphocarcinus rathbunae <small>Griffin & Tranter, 1986</small>
  • Asterias rathbunae <small>Britajev, 1989</small>
  • Lophaxius rathbunae <small>Kensley, 1989</small>
  • Rhynchocinetes rathbunae <small>Okuno, 1996</small>
  • Palaeopinnixa rathbunae <small>Schweitzer & Feldmann, 2000</small>
  • Marratha <small>Ng & Clark, 2003</small>

See also

  • Timeline of women in science

References

  • Mary Jane Rathbun Papers, 1886-1938 and undated from the Smithsonian Institution Archives
  • Bionomia profile, showing specimens collected and/or identified by Rathbone, and the science enabled