Victor Gruschka Springer (June 2, 1928 – September 18, 2022) was an American biologist who was a Senior Scientist emeritus, Division of Fishes at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.[1]
He was a specialist in the anatomy, classification, and distribution of fishes, with a special interest in tropical marine shorefishes. He published numerous scientific studies on these subjects; also, a popular book called "Sharks in Question, the Smithsonian Answer Book" 1989.[2]
Springer's research interests included the classification, evolution, and biogeography of fishes, especially marine fishes and notably Blennioid fishes. He was also interested in late 19th and 20th Century scientific illustrators of fishes such as Charles Bradford Hudson[1][3]
Death
Springer died on September 18, 2022, at the age of 94.[4]
Selected publications
Springer, Victor G.; Gomon, Martin F. (1975). Revision of the Blenniid Fish Genus Omobranchus with Descriptions of Three New Species and Notes on Other Species of the Tribe Omobranchini. Smithsonian Institution Press.
The Springer's dragonet, Synchiropus springeriR. Fricke, 1983 was named after him as it was he who collected the type specimens during his Fiji Islands Expedition in 1982 and loaned them and many other specimens to describer Fricke for examination.[6]
^Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 September 2018). "Order GOBIIFORMES: Family GOBIIDAE (d-h)". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 12 March 2023.