Roberto Donoso-Barros

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Roberto Donoso-Barros
Born
Roberto Donoso-Barros

October 5, 1921
DiedAugust 2, 1975
Alma materUniversity of Chile

Roberto Donoso-Barros (October 5, 1921 – August 2, 1975) was a Chilean zoologist, naturalist, and herpetologist.[1]

Early life and education

Donoso-Barros was born in Santiago, Chile. He attended the University of Chile in Santiago, earning his M.D. from the school in 1947.[2]

Career

Donoso-Barros joined the faculty of the University of Chile in 1954. In 1965, he became a professor at the University of Concepción.[2] He also worked at the Universidad de Oriente in Venezuela, and at the Smithsonian Institution in the United States.[1]

Donoso-Barros was a prolific herpetological authority in Chile. In 1966, he published Reptiles de Chile which collected and reported on all lizard species described to date in Chile.

Species described by Donoso-Barros include:

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a different genus.

Accolades

Donoso-Barros was awarded the Abate Molina Prize by the Chilean Academy of Sciences in 1966.[1] He was also awarded the Atenea Award in 1966 for Reptiles de Chile.[3]

A proposed subspecies of Chelonoidis chilensis, C. chilensis donosobarrosi, is named for Donoso-Barros. A species of lizard, Liolaemus donosobarrosi, is named after him.[4]

Personal life

Donoso-Barros had four daughters and one son. His children were the source of some of the specific epithets for species he described, including Gonatodes ceciliae, named for his daughter Cecilia; Liolaemus paulinae, named for his daughter Pauline; Pristidactylus valeriae, named for his daughter Valeria; Liolaemus constanzae, named for his daughter Constanza; and Pristidactylus alvaroi, named for his son Álvaro.[4]

He is the grandfather of Gaspar Domínguez Donoso, the son of his daughter Valeria.[5]

Donoso-Barros died on August 2, 1975, as a result of a traffic accident.[1]

References