Hobart Muir Smith

For the American musician, see Hobart Smith.

Hobart Muir Smith, born Frederick William Stouffer (September 26, 1912 – March 4, 2013),[1] was an American herpetologist. He is credited with describing more than 100 new species of American reptiles[2] and amphibians. In addition, he has been honored by having at least six species named after him, including the southwestern blackhead snake (Tantilla hobartsmithi), Smith's earth snake (Uropeltis grandis), Smith's arboreal alligator lizard (Abronia smithi), Hobart's anadia (Anadia hobarti), Hobart Smith's anole (Anolis hobartsmithi), and Smith's rose-bellied lizard (Sceloporus smithi).[3] At 100 years of age, Smith continued to be an active and productive herpetologist.[4] Although he published on a wide range of herpetological subjects, his main focus throughout his career was on the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico, including taxonomy, bibliographies, and history. Having published more than 1,600 manuscripts, he surpassed all contemporaries and remains the most published herpetologist of all time.[5][6]

  1. ^ "Hobart Muir Smith". The Guardian. 10 Mar 2013.
  2. ^ Uetz, P (2010). "The original descriptions of reptiles" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2334: 59–68. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2334.1.3.
  3. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Hobart, p. 124; Smith, H.M., p. 247).
  4. ^ Smith, Hobart M. (2012). "Some notes on the last hundred years and the next stages in the evolution of herpetology" (PDF). Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 7 (2): xi–xiv.
  5. ^ Bury, R. Bruce; Trauth, Stanley E. (2012). "Pioneer of herpetology at his century mark: Hobart M. Smith" (PDF). Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 7 (2): vii–viii.
  6. ^ Chiszar, David (2012). "Hobart M. Smith turns 100" (PDF). Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 7 (2): ix–x.