Gertrude Ricardo (11 September 1862 - 31 October 1950) was a British entomologist and taxonomist who specialised in Diptera, particularly the families Asilidae (assassin flies) and Tabanidae (horseflies and deerflies).
Biography Gertrude Ricardo was born at Gatcombe Park House in Gloucestershire on 11 September 1862 and baptised on 15 October 1862 as Ellen Gertrude Ricardo at Minchinhampton church, Gloucestershire. Her parents were Henry David Ricardo (1833–1873) and his wife Ellen (née Crawley, 1839–1902). Ricardo's grandfather was the Liberal Member of Parliament David Ricardo the younger (1803–1864) and her great-grandfather was the economist and Whig Member of Parliament David Ricardo (1772–1823).
Ricardo was one of 11 siblings. The early education of the Ricardo children was at home, by a governess from Jersey named Julia Le Couteur.
Gertrude's father Henry David Ricardo died at the age of 39 in 1873 and her older brother Henry George Ricardo (1860–1940) inherited Gatcombe Park, though it was held in trust for Henry George until he reached majority.
In 1895 Ricardo was living at number 25 Cleveland Square, Hyde Park, a house that was the residence of her mother Ellen. Ricardo was listed as an Associate of The Sanitary Institute; she had also passed examination to become an Inspector of Nuisance - this role would have involved trying to protect the public from sources of disease and contaminated food and was a precursor to the modern role of Public Health Inspector.
By the early 1900s Ricardo lived at 12 Cottesmore Gardens in KensingtonNHM Archives ref: DF ZOO/200/50/439. Letter from Gertrude Ricardo dated 5 February 1903 [sent from 12 Cottesmore Gardens] with her sister Katharine Cecil Ricardo (1865-1957GRO Index of Births in England for 1865. December Quarter, Stroud District. 6a 293. Ricardo, Katherine Cecil. via FreeBmd.org.ukEngland Probate Calendar for 1957: entry for Katharine Cecil Ricardo, p. 906. Accessed through probatesearch.service.gov.uk); both were listed as registered to vote in local elections, which had become legal for property-owning women after the Local Government Act 1894.
From 1900 Ricardo began to publish taxonomy research papers based upon her studies of Diptera in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History). Some of Ricardo's work included examining flies collected in South Africa by William Lucas Distant and working with Pangoniinae material from the Budapest Museum which had been loaned to her by Kálmán Kertész so that she could compare them with Types from the collection of Francis Walker. In 1906 George Henry Verrall allowed Ricardo to borrow material from his private collection for her work on the genus Haematopota. Ricardo also worked on Tabanid flies from Algeria collected by Alfred Edwin Eaton. Ricardo was associated with the British Museum until 1927, and during her time working there she described many new Diptera species (see selected list below). The British Museum's Keeper of Entomology Norman Denbigh Riley (1890–1979) summed up Ricardo's work like this in 1964: "she broke new ground, but left it very rough."
Ricardo's brother William Crawley Ricardo (1864–1946) had emigrated to North America in 1895 with the intention of working as a ranchman, later becoming resident in the Vernon area of British Columbia, Canada. In 1901 William was managing a farm at Vernon and living with another Ricardo sister, Arabel Mary Ricardo (later Hodges, 1868–1954). In 1902 Gertrude Ricardo traveled to Canada, including a visit to the area where her siblings lived, and she would later send a collection she had made of Canadian Hymenoptera to Charles Thomas Bingham at the British Museum. Bees collected by Ricardo at Vernon and Calgary were examined in 1912 by Theodore D. A. Cockerell, from which he described two new species: Stelis ricardonis (Cockerell, 1912) named in Ricardo's honour (originally named as Chelynia ricardonis, also known as Ricardo's Cuckoo Carder bee), and Megachile vernonensis Cockerell, 1912.
In 1938 Ricardo was presented with a medal bearing an image of King Leopold III of Belgium for her work on material from Leopold III's tour of the Far East in 1928–1929.
In later life Ricardo lived at Phelps House, Castle Cary, Somerset, with her sisters Katharine Cecil Ricardo and Rachel Bertha Ricardo (1870–1961): all three women were described in 1939 as living by independent financial means and supported by two domestic servants. In the 1940s Ricardo occasionally opened Phelps House garden to the public as part of a scheme to raise money for local nursing charities. In February 1946 Ricardo enquired of Norman Denbigh Riley at the British Museum as to how to best divest her personal library of books about Diptera; Riley's reply suggesting that she donate them to the Museum survives in the NHM Archives.NHM Archives: DF/ENT/302/24 letter 497 [letter to Miss G. Ricardo from Norman Denbigh Riley dated 13 February 1946, addressed to Phelps House, Castle Cary]
Ricardo died at Springfield House, Pilton, Somerset, on 31 October 1950England Probate Calendar for 1951: entry for Ellen Gertrude Ricardo, p. 820. Accessed via probatesearch.service.gov.uk at the age of 88.
Ricardo's own Diptera collection was gifted to the British Museum (Natural History) by her sister Rachel Bertha Ricardo.
Selected species described by Gertrude Ricardo Current taxonomic status is listed, if known (checked on Systema Dipterorum).
Diptera: Family Asilidae Alcimus brevipennis Ricardo, 1922 [valid] Alcimus cinerascens Ricardo, 1900 [valid as combination Philodicus cinerascens (Ricardo, 1900)] Alcimus nigrescens Ricardo, 1922 [valid] Asilus montanus Ricardo, 1922 [homonym, valid as Orophotus montanus (Ricardo, 1922)] Asilus orientalis Ricardo, 1922 [valid as combination Trichomachimus orientalis (Ricardo, 1922)] Asilus pulcher Ricardo, 1922 Dysmachus robustus Ricardo, 1922 [valid as combination Neolophonotus robustus (Ricardo, 1922)] Heligmonevra trisignata Ricardo, 1922 [valid as combination Neomochtherus trisignatus (Ricardo, 1922)] Laparus albicinctus Ricardo, 1900 [valid as combination Pegesimallus albicinctus (Ricardo, 1900)] Laphria aureopilosa Ricardo, 1900 [valid] Lophonotus albofasciatus Ricardo, 1900 [valid as combination Neolophonotus albofasciatus (Ricardo, 1900)] Machimus assamensis Ricardo, 1919 [valid] Machimus chinensis Ricardo, 1919 [valid] Machimus excelsus Ricardo, 1922 [valid as combination Trichomachimus excelsus (Ricardo, 1922)] Machimus pallipes Ricardo, 1922 [valid] Machimus pubescens Ricardo, 1922 [valid as combination Trichomachimus pubescens (Ricardo, 1922)] Machimus rufipes Ricardo, 1922 [valid] Microstylum elegans Ricardo, 1900 [junior synonym of Microstylum lituratum Loew, 1863] Microstylum glabrum Ricardo, 1900 [junior synonym of Microstylum gulosum Loew, 1858] Microstylum nigrescens Ricardo, 1900 [valid] Ommatius fuscovittatua Ricardo, 1900 [valid as combination Longibeccus fuscovittatua (Ricardo, 1900)] Philodicus dubius Ricardo, 1921 [valid] Philodicus femoralis Ricardo, 1921 [valid] Philodicus fuscipes Ricardo, 1921 [valid] Philodicus grandissimus Ricardo, 1921 [valid] Philodicus meridionalis Ricardo, 1921 [valid] Philodicus nigrescens Ricardo, 1921 [valid] Philodicus pallidipennis Ricardo, 1921 [valid] Philodicus thoracicus Ricardo 1921 [valid as Philodicus thoracinus Ricardo, 1921] Philodicus umbripennis Ricardo, 1921 [junior synonym of Philodicus cinerascens (Ricardo, 1900)] Promachus abdominalis Ricardo, 1920 [valid] Promachus adamsi Ricardo, 1920 [valid] Promachus albicinctus Ricardo, 1900 [valid] Promachus beesoni Ricardo, 1921 [valid] Promachus bicolor Ricardo, 1900 [junior synonym of Promachus amastrus (Walker, 1849)] Promachus breviventris Ricardo, 1920 [valid] Promachus obscuripes Ricardo, 1920 [valid] Promachus pallidus Ricardo, 1921 [valid] Promachus rufescens Ricardo, 1920 [valid] Promachus simpsoni Ricardo, 1920 [valid] Promachus sokotrae Ricardo, 1903 in ed. Forbes, 1903 [valid] Promachus ugandiensis Ricardo, 1920 [valid] Scylaticus rufescens Ricardo, 1900 [valid] Tolmerus angularis Ricardo, 1922 [valid as combination Machimus angularis (Ricardo, 1922)] Tolmerus hirsutus Ricardo, 1922 [valid as combination Machimus hirsutus (Ricardo, 1922)] Tolmerus nigripes Ricardo, 1922 [valid as combination Machimus nigripes (Ricardo, 1922)] Tolmerus parvus Ricardo, 1922 [junior synonym of Machimus retrospectus Oldroyd, 1975] Tolmerus rubripes Ricardo, 1922 [valid as combination Heligmonevra rubripes (Ricardo, 1922)]
Diptera: Family Bombyliidae Exoprosopa basalis Ricardo, 1901 [valid as combination Litorhina basalis (Ricardo, 1901)] Exoprosopa elongata Ricardo, 1901 [valid] Exoprosopa major Ricardo, 1901 [valid] Exoprosopa nova Ricardo, 1901 Exoprosopa nyasae Ricardo, 1901 [valid as combination Litorhina nyasae (Ricardo, 1901)] Exoprosopa parva Ricardo, 1901 [junior primary homonym with Exoprosopa parvula Bezzi, 1921] Exoprosopa unifasciata Ricardo, 1901 [valid] Hyperalonia vittata Ricardo, 1901 [valid as combination Ligyra vittata (Ricardo, 1901)] Lomatia nigrescens Ricardo, 1901 [valid as combination Notolomatia nigrescens (Ricardo, 1901)]
Diptera: Family Rhagionidae Pelecorhynchus aurantiacus Ricardo 1900 [junior synonym of Pelecorhynchus vulpes (Macquart, 1850)]. Pelecorhynchus darwini Ricardo 1900 [junior synonym of Pelecorhynchus elegans (Philippi, 1865)].
Diptera: Family Tabanidae Atylotus nigromaculatus Ricardo, 1900 [valid] Cadicera nigrescens Ricardo, 1900 [junior synonym of Philoliche (Phara) rubramarginata (Macquart, 1855)] Chrysops brasiliensis Ricardo, 1901 [junior synonym of Chrysops incisus Macquart, 1846] Chrysops flavocinctus Ricardo, 1902 [valid] Chrysops fuscipennis Ricardo, 1902 [valid] Chrysops indianus Ricardo, 1902 [valid] Chrysops madagascarensis Ricardo, 1902 [valid] Corizoneura distincta Ricardo, 1908 [valid as combination Philoliche (Stenophara) distincta (Ricardo, 1908)] Corizoneura obscura Ricardo, 1908 [junior synonym: junior secondary homonym with Philoliche (Phara) ricardoae Chainey & Oldroyd, 1980] Corizoneura pallidipennis Ricardo, 1900 [junior synonym of Philoliche (Philoliche) rondani (Bertoloni, 1861)] Corizoneura umbratipennis Ricardo, 1900 [valid as combination Philoliche (Philoliche) umbratipennis (Ricardo, 1900)] Diatomineura longipennis Ricardo, 1902 [valid as combination Pseudoscione longipennis (Ricardo, 1902)] Diatomineura minima Ricardo, 1900 [junior synonym of Scaptia (Scaptia) subcana Walker] Diatomineura leucothorax Ricardo, 1900 [changed rank / combination, accepted as Sixtomyia leucothorax, Philippi] Diatomineura seminigra Ricardo, 1902 [valid as combination Lepmia seminigra (Ricardo, 1902)] Erephrosis aureohirta Ricardo, 1900 [valid as combination Copidapha aureohirta (Ricardo, 1900)] Erephrosis fulvitibialis Ricardo, 1900 Erephrosis fuscus Ricardo, 1902 Erephrosis niger Ricardo, 1900 Erephrosis rufescens Ricardo, 1900 [accepted as Scione rufescens (Ricardo, 1900)] Erephrosis rufopilosus Ricardo 1900 Haematopota bipunctata Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota brevis Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota brunnescens Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota brunnipennis Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota cingalensis Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota distincta Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota hindostani Ricardo, 1917 [valid] Haematopota lata Ricardo, 1906 Haematopota longa Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota montanus Ricardo, 1917 [accepted as Haematopota montana Ricardo, 1917] Haematopota nigrescens Ricardo, 1906 [junior synonym of Haematopota hirta Ricardo, 1906] Haematopota rubida Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota similis Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota singularis Ricardo, 1908 [valid] Haematopota tessellata Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota ugandae Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota unicolor Ricardo, 1906 [valid] Haematopota unizonata Ricardo, 1906 [valid]