Lyndsay McLaren Forster (née Clifford; 19 September 1925 – 20 January 2009) was a New Zealand arachnologist.[1][2]
Lyn Forster | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lyndsay McLaren Clifford 19 September 1925 Wallaceville, New Zealand |
| Died | 20 January 2009 (aged 83) Mosgiel, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Otago |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Arachnology |
| Institutions | University of Otago |
| Thesis | Comparative aspects of the behavioural biology of some New Zealand jumping spiders (1979) |
Biography edit
Forster was born in Upper Hutt and grew up on a small farm near Feilding. She enrolled at Victoria University College in Wellington but moved to Christchurch in 1948 without completing her degree. She moved again to Dunedin in 1957; in the late 1960s she returned to her university studies and eventually completed a PhD at the University of Otago in 1979.[1]
Forster was a lecturer in zoology at the University of Otago, and also carried out research and wrote papers and books on spiders. Her work focused on jumping spiders, and on white-tailed spiders and Australian redback spiders. In addition, she worked at the Otago Museum designing and creating displays of spiders, and running educational programmes on spiders for children.[3]
Forster was also an active member of the Otago Institute (the Otago branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand); in 1990 she was elected president, the first woman to hold the position.[1]
Personal life edit
In 1948 Forster married fellow scientist Ray Forster. The couple had four children together.[1]
Publications edit
- Forster, Raymond R.; Forster, L. M. (1973). New Zealand spiders. Auckland: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-211565-0.
- Forster, Raymond R.; Forster, L. M. (1974). Small land animals of New Zealand (revised ed.). Dunedin: J. McIndoe.
- Forster, Raymond R.; Forster, L. M. (1999). Spiders of New Zealand and their world-wide kin. Dunedin: University of Otago Press in association with Otago Museum. ISBN 978-1-877133-79-4.
References edit
- ^ a b c d Vink, Cor J.; Sirvid, Phil J.; Hall, Grace (1 February 2009). "Obituary DR LYNDSAY MCLAREN FORSTER: 1925–2009". New Zealand Entomologist. 32 (1): 95–97. doi:10.1080/00779962.2009.9722184. ISSN 0077-9962. S2CID 85262722.
- ^ Te Manatu Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. "Ray and Lyn Forster". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ "Remembering Ray and Lyn Forster". Otago Museum. Retrieved 27 January 2020.