Guy Anstruther Knox Marshall facts for kids
Sir Guy Anstruther Knox Marshall (FRS) (born 20 December 1871 in Amritsar, Punjab – died 8 April 1959 in London) was an important British entomologist. An entomologist is a scientist who studies insects. Sir Guy was especially good at studying weevils from Africa and Asia. Weevils are a type of beetle.
Early Life and Discoveries
Guy Marshall was born in India. He was the youngest of three children. His father and uncle were both naturalists. They wrote books about birds and butterflies in India, Burma, and Ceylon. This likely helped Guy become interested in nature too.
When he was young, Guy went to school in Margate, England. There, he started collecting butterflies. Later, at Charterhouse, he switched to collecting beetles. After school, he went to South Africa to learn about sheep farming. He ended up managing land and owning farms in Rhodesia.
Career and Insect Research
Guy Marshall started writing to Edward Bagnall Poulton. Poulton was a famous professor at Oxford University. He encouraged Marshall to study how insects use colors to hide or to look like other animals. Marshall collected many plant samples during this research. He published his findings in a science paper in 1902.
Later, Marshall became sick in London. But his papers about weevils were published. This led to a job as a scientific secretary for a group called the Entomological Research Committee (Tropical Africa). This committee sent scientists to Africa. Their job was to study insects that harmed people, crops, and animals. They sent insect samples to the Natural History Museum in London for identification.
Marshall was a great leader. He made the committee very strong and effective. Eventually, this group joined with other services to become the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux (CAB). Marshall also started a special service to control pests using natural methods. This led to a worldwide network of laboratories. He also helped create two important science magazines about insects.
His organization took on a huge task. They wrote a large part of The Zoological Record about insects. In 1916, University of Oxford gave him an honorary doctorate. This was for his important work in economic entomology. This field studies insects that affect human activities, like farming. He also became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of London.
Honors and Legacy
Sir Guy Marshall received many awards for his work. He was chosen to be part of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected scientific group. He was also honored by many other scientific societies around the world. These included groups in America, New Zealand, India, Belgium, and Russia. He received special awards from the Belgian Government and the British government. He was made a Knight in 1930, which is why he is called "Sir Guy."
After he retired in 1942, the Natural History Museum gave him office space. He continued his work there, identifying insects until shortly before he died. He was especially good at identifying weevils. He described about 2,300 new species of insects in his career.
A type of African dwarf chameleon, called Rhampholeon marshalli, was named after him. This was to honor his important contributions to science.
