Charles Henry Tyler Townsend | |
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| Born | December 5, 1863 Oberlin, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 1944 (aged 80) Itaquaquecetuba, Brazil |
| Alma mater | Columbian University |
| Spouse | Caroline (died 1903) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Entomology |
Charles Henry Tyler Townsend (December 5, 1863 – March 17, 1944) was an American entomologist specializing in the study of tachinids (Tachinidae), a large and diverse family of flies (Diptera) with larvae that are parasitoids of other insects. He was perhaps the most prolific publisher of new tachinids, naming and describing some 3000 species and genera.[1] He made important contributions to the biological control of insect pests and he was the first to identify the insect vector of a debilitating disease in Peru. Townsend was also a controversial figure and criticism of his approach to insect taxonomy continues to this day.