Gerald Stokell

Gerald Stokell (20 June 1890 – 10 July 1972) was a New Zealand amateur ichthyologist.^[1]

Early life

Stokell was born at Prebbleton, near

A keen angler, Stokell wrote a series of studies on trout in Lake Ellismere.[2] Through this interest in angling, he also came across native fish species, but was unable to identify them due to a lack of published information.^[2][3] From 1938 onwards he began publishing papers on them, describing species and detangling the many names that had accrued.^[2] He described 10 species that are still accepted, although others turned out to be junior synonyms.^[2]

Species described

• Galaxias paucispondylus
  (1938) alpine galaxias
• Gobiomorphus breviceps
  (1939) upland bully
• Galaxias prognathus
  (1940) longjaw galaxias
• Neochanna diversus
  (1949) Black mudfish
• Galaxias vulgaris
  (1949) Canterbury galaxias
• Galaxias anomalus
  (1959) Central Otago roundhead galaxias
• Gobiomorphus hubbsi
  (1959) bluegill bully
• Galaxias divergens (1959) dwarf galaxias
• Gobiomorphus alpinus
  (1962) Tarndale bully

In 1941

Memberships

• Council of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society
• Staff of the Canterbury Museum
• Secretary of the Canterbury branch of the
  Royal Society of New Zealand

A direct man with forceful opinions, he left the Acclimatisation Society, stating:

Their sole qualification for safe-guarding the welfare of wild creatures [is] the possession of a desire to kill them.

Death

Stokell died 10 July 1972 in Christchurch.

Works

• Freshwater fishes of New Zealand, 1955
• Freshwater and diadromous fishes of New Zealand, 1972

See also

• Category:Taxa named by Gerald Stokell

References

Notes

Bibliography

• McDowall, R. M. "Stokell, Gerald 1890 - 1972". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 4 April 2011.