Jeanette Covacevich

Jeanette Covacevich
Born(1945-03-26)26 March 1945
Innisfail, Queensland, Australia
Died17 December 2015(2015-12-17) (aged 70)
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
NationalityAustralian
CitizenshipAustralian
Alma mater(tertiary education):
Griffith University
Scientific career
FieldsScientist
Memorial bench for Jeanette Covacevich in Cooktown Botanic Gardens.
Plaque on memorial bench for Jeanette Covacevich

Jeanette Adelaide Covacevich AM (1945–2015) was a herpetologist in Queensland, Australia. As a senior curator of vertebrates at the Queensland Museum, she discovered and studied many reptiles and frogs in Queensland.[1] Covacevich is most famous for rediscovering and describing the Inland Taipan snake (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), the world's most venomous snake.[2][3] In addition, she described over thirty new species and genera including the Cape York striped blind snake (Ramphotyphlops chamodracaena), the Nangur spiny skink (Nangura spinosa), and the Bulburin leaf-tailed gecko (Phyllurus caudiannulatus).[4]

On 12 June 1995 she was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to science, in particular for herpetology and conservation.[5]

Covacevich is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of earthworm, Terriswalkerius covacevichae; the Australian spiders, Zophorame covacevichae and Kababina covacevichae; the Australian frog, Pseudophryne covacevichae; and the Australian gecko, Amalosia jacovae[6] (J. A. Cov. + Latin suffix -ae).

  1. ^ Cohn, Helen (5 December 2016). "Covacevich, Jeanette Adelaide (1945 - 2015)". Encyclopedia of Australian Science. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  2. ^ Covacevich, J., McDowell, S.B., Tanner, C. & Mengdon, G. (Aust. Herp. Symposium, 1980). The relationship of the taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) and the small-scaled snake (O. microlepidotus), Serpentes: Elapidae (page 32). kingsnake.com Retrieved 15 November 2013
  3. ^ "Jeanette Covacevich - Memorial service for spirited herpetologist and museum curator". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  4. ^ Couper, P.J. & McKay, J. (13 April 2016). "Vale Jeanette Adelaide Covacevich, AM, PSM (1945–2015)" (PDF). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature. 59: 257–271. doi:10.1082/j.2204-1478.59.2016.2016-04 (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  5. ^ "SEARCH AUSTRALIAN HONOURS: Jeanette Covacevich". It's an honour. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  6. ^ 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. ("Covacevich", p. 60).