The Fish Department - Research
Johann Ludwig Gerard Krefft
Photo © Australian Museum
1830-1881
Tenure at Australian Museum 1861-1879
Gerard Krefft worked on many animal groups although reptiles, mammals and fossils predominated.
During his career he wrote more than 150 papers and articles.
Krefft described several species of freshwater fishes in 1863, but his major contribution to Australian ichthyology was his description in 1870 of the Australian Lungfish.
Krefft gave the Australian Museum an international reputation. He corresponded with famous scientists such as Charles Darwin, Jean Agassiz and Albert Günther.
At the end of his tenure the fish collection contained 1,600 fish specimens.
Towards the end of his tenure, Krefft had a very 'turbulent' relationship with the Australian Museum Board of Trustees, especially over the fate of a Diprotodon mandible. One of the Trustees Mr E. Hill, hired the services of two prize-fighters who picked up Krefft in his chair (he was reading a book at the time), carried him to the door and pushed him out into the street. Krefft was fired from his position as Director at the age of 44. He died in poverty only seven years later.
Related links
- View the Archives page on Curators and Directors
- View the Fish Department Staff page
Further reading
- Paxton, J.R. & M.A. McGrouther. 1997. A history of the fish collection at the Australian Museum (1860-1968), with a summary of current Australian fish collections. in Pietsch, T.W. & W. Anderson (Eds) Collection building in ichthyology and herpetology. Special Publication of the American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology. Pp. 183-205, 14 figs. http://www.asih.org/pubs/Collection_building_overview.htm.
- Strahan, R. et al. 1979. Rare and Curious Specimens. An Illustrated History of the Australian Museum 1827-1979. Australian Museum. Pp. 173.
