William Bussing

Last updated
William Bussing
Born(1933-09-27)September 27, 1933
DiedNovember 17, 2014(2014-11-17) (aged 81)
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
Scientific career
Fields Ichthyology
Institutions Universidad de Costa Rica

William Albert Bussing (September 27, 1933 - November 17, 2014), known as Don William, was an American ichthyologist who spent most of his career on the faculty of the Universidad de Costa Rica, working there from 1966 to 1991. He was appointed professor in 1978 and when he retired he became emeritus professor.

Contents

Early life

Bussing was born in Los Angeles, California. His university education was interrupted by his conscription to serve in the Korean War and by other jobs, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California in 1960, and teaching degree in 1961. [1]

Career

Following his graduation, Bussing obtained an Inter-American Cultural Convention scholarship and travelled to Costa Rica to carry out research on the ecology of fishes of the Río Puerto Viejo, Sarapiquí in Costa Rica. One result of this research was the description of a new species, Phallichthys tico in his first paper published in 1963, the first of over 90 publications. He taught a course in ichthyology at the Universidad de Costa Rica in 1962 and from 1963 and 1965 he worked towards his Masters on the bathypelagic fishes found off the coasts of Peru and Chile. In 1965 he became an assistant researching fish herbivory around Enewetak Atoll. He returned to Universidad de Costa Rica in 1966 to teach biology. In 1968 he was a co-founder of the Universidad de Costa Rica's Museo de Zoología. [1]

In 1990 he was appointed by the Food and Agriculture Organization to study the distribution of fishes on the Pacific slope of Mesoamerica and Colombia, this work being published in many FAO guides to the commercially exploited fishes of the region. In all he wrote over 90 papers, a number of books and described around 60 new species. Bussing described more new species of vertebrate than any other zoologist working on Costa Rica. He undertook most expeditions with his wife, Myrna López, published some works with her too, and dedicated species to her and their children, Ilse and Erick. [1]

Selected publications

[2]

Taxon described by him

[2]

Death

Bussing died in San Jose, Costa Rica, on November 17, 2014, of injuries sustained in a car accident. [3]

Taxon named in his honor

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobiidae</span> Family of fishes

Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm (3.9 in) in length, and the family includes some of the smallest vertebrates in the world, such as Trimmatom nanus and Pandaka pygmaea, Trimmatom nanus are under 1 cm long when fully grown, then Pandaka pygmaea standard length are 9 mm (0.35 in), maximum known standard length are 11 mm (0.43 in). Some large gobies can reach over 30 cm (0.98 ft) in length, but that is exceptional. Generally, they are benthic or bottom-dwellers. Although few are important as food fish for humans, they are of great significance as prey species for other commercially important fish such as cod, haddock, sea bass and flatfish. Several gobiids are also of interest as aquarium fish, such as the dartfish of the genus Ptereleotris. Phylogenetic relationships of gobiids have been studied using molecular data.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blenniiformes</span> Order of fishes

Blenny is a common name for many types of fish, including several families of percomorph marine, brackish, and some freshwater fish sharing similar morphology and behaviour. Six families are considered "true blennies", grouped under the order Blenniiformes; its members are referred to as blenniiformids. About 151 genera and nearly 900 species have been described within the order. The order was formerly classified as a suborder of the Perciformes but the 5th Edition of Fishes of the World divided the Perciformes into a number of new orders and the Blenniiformes were placed in the percomorph clade Ovalentaria alongside the such taxa as Cichliformes, Mugiliformes and Gobiesociformes.

<i>Hyphessobrycon</i> Genus of fishes

Hyphessobrycon is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Characidae. These species are among the fishes known as tetras. The genus is distributed in the Neotropical realm from southern Mexico to Río de la Plata in Argentina. Many of these species are native to South America; about six species are from Central America and a single species, H. compressus is from southern Mexico.

<i>Roeboides</i> Genus of fishes

Roeboides is a genus of characins from Central and South America. These fish, among other characteristics, are small, are typically translucent, and have a rhomboid shape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow cichlid</span> Species of fish

Herotilapia multispinosa also known as the rainbow cichlid is a Central American freshwater fish of the cichlid family. It is found on the Atlantic slope of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica from Patuca River (Honduras) south to Matina River, and on the Pacific slope of Nicaragua and Costa Rica from Guasaule River south to Tempisque River. Specimens are also reported from the Choluteca River on the Pacific side of Honduras. This species is found in lakes and swamps with muddy bottoms, where it uses its specialized teeth and only 3.5% jaw protrusion to feed mostly on algae. It is commercially important as an aquarium fish. The rainbow cichlid prefers a pH range of 7.0–8.0, water hardness of 9-20 dGH and a temperature range of 21–36 °C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lepidophagy</span> Fish eating scales of other fish

Lepidophagy is a specialised feeding behaviour in fish that involves eating the scales of other fish. Lepidophagy is widespread, having evolved independently in at least five freshwater families and seven marine families. A related feeding behavior among fish is pterygophagy: feeding on the fins of other fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobiinae</span> Subfamily of fishes

True gobies were a subfamily, the Gobiinae, of the goby family Gobiidae, although the 5th edition of the Fishes of the World does not subdivide the Gobiidae into subfamilies. They are found in all oceans and a few rivers and lakes, but most live in warm waters. Altogether, the Gobiinae unite about 1149 described species in 160 genera, and new ones are still being discovered in numbers.

Myxodagnus walkeri is a species of sand stargazer native to the Pacific coast of Central America from Nayarit, Mexico to Golfo de Nicoya, Costa Rica where it can be found at depths of from 0 to 6 metres. It can reach a maximum length of 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in) SL.

Platygillellus bussingi, Bussing's stargazer, is a species of sand stargazer native to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Panama where it can be found on sandy bottoms at depths of from 1 to 15 metres. It can reach a maximum length of 5 centimetres (2.0 in) TL.

The signal triplefin is a species of triplefin blenny in the genus Lepidonectes. It was described by William Albert Bussing in 1991 and he gave it a specific name which honours the American ichthyologist Clark Hubbs (1921–2008). This species occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean where it is found off Costa Rica and Panama. The signal triplefin is found on rocky shores where it feeds on very small invertebrates and algae.

<i>Melanorivulus</i> Genus of fishes

Melanorivulus is a genus of South American freshwater fish in the family Rivulidae. Most species are endemic to the Río de la Plata, eastern Amazon, Tocantins–Araguaia and São Francisco basins in Brazil, but a few members of this genus range west into Bolivia, south into Paraguay and Argentina, and east to Parnaíba and Sergipe in northeastern Brazil. Only M. schuncki occurs north of the Amazon River. They inhabit shallow waters, generally 5–30 cm (2–12 in) deep, at the margins of streams in open or fairly open habitats like the Cerrado or Cerrado–Amazon transition. Many have tiny ranges and are seriously threatened.

<i>Anablepsoides</i> Genus of fishes

Anablepsoides is a genus of killifish in the family Rivulidae native to tropical South America and the Lesser Antilles. The majority are from the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as freshwater systems in the Guiana Shield, but a few species are from northern Venezuela, northeastern Brazil and the Lesser Antilles. Although largely restricted to lowlands, a few species occur in the lower East Andean foothills. They are mostly found in shallow fresh water swamps, streams, edges of rivers, ponds and pools, but a few may occur in brackish estuaries. They are able to jump over land and breathe air for short periods, allowing them to access isolated waters inhabited by few or no other fish. Several Anablepsoides species have small distributions and some are seriously threatened by habitat loss; the entire known range of A. xinguensis is in the area flooded by the Belo Monte Dam.

Cynodonichthys is a genus of freshwater killifish in the family Rivulidae. They are found in Middle America, ranging from southern Mexico, through Central America, to Colombia. They are non-annual killifish and inhabit small forest streams from the lowlands to an altitude of 1,500 m (4,900 ft).

<i>Laimosemion</i> Genus of fishes

Laimosemion is a genus of fish in the family Rivulidae from the Amazon basin and basins in the Guiana Shield in tropical South America. They mostly inhabit small streams, creeks, swamps and pools in lowlands, but locally occur to an altitude of 1,300 m (4,300 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovalentaria</span> Clade of fishes

Ovalentaria is a clade of ray-finned fishes within the Percomorpha, referred to as a subseries. It is made up of a group of fish families which are referred to in Fishes of the World's fifth edition as incertae sedis, as well as the orders Mugiliformes, Cichliformes, and Blenniiformes. It was named by W. L. Smith and T. J. Near in Wainwright et al. (2012) based on a molecular phylogeny, but the authors suggested that the group was united by the presence of demersal eggs that are attached to a substrate. Some authors have used the ordinal name Stiassnyiformes for a clade including Mugiloidei, Plesiopidae, Blenniiformes, Atherinomorpha, and Cichlidae, and this grouping does appear to be monophyletic.

Clark Hubbs was an American ichthyologist who was professor of zoology at the University of Texas from 1963 until he accepted emeritus status in 1991. He was a leading figure in ichthyology in Texas, teaching students who went on to be renowned in the field, was involved in ichthyological societies and was an editor of scientific journals. Hubbs was also an environmental activist, fighting to conserve freshwater ecosystems.

Helen K. Larson is an ichthyologist who specialises in the fishes of the Indo-Pacific.

<i>Phallichthys amates</i> Species of fish

Phallichthys amates, the merry widow or merry widow livebearer, is a livebearer fish from Central America, the largest and most widespread in its genus. Two subspecies range from Guatemala to Panama. Distinguishing features include the dark dorsal fin edge, a stripe through the eye, and an oversized male copulatory organ (gonopodium).

<i>Phallichthys tico</i> Species of fish

Phallichthys tico, the dwarf merry widow, is a livebearer fish from Central America. It lives in turbid, stagnant waters, often among aquatic plants, and feeds mainly on plant matter. It is sometimes kept in aquaria.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jorge Cortés; Arturo Angulo (2015). "William A. Bussing (1933-2014). Obituary/Obituario". Revista de Biología Tropical. 63 (4): 899–902.
  2. 1 2 https://www.redalyc.org/journal/449/44942283001/movil/ [ bare URL ]
  3. Artigas Azas, Juan Miguel (November 19, 2014). "Professor William Bussing dies in car accident" . Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  4. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Platygillellus bussingi" in FishBase . April 2013 version.
  5. Christopher Scharpf; Kenneth J. Lazara (29 January 2019). "Order BLENNIIFORMES: Families TRIPTERYGIIDAE and DACTYLOSCOPIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  6. Dawson, C. E. (1974). Studies on eastern Pacific sand stargazers (Pisces, Dactyloscopidae) 1. Platygillelus new genus, with descriptions of new species. Copeia, 1974, 39-55.)
  7. López S., M. I. (1980). Umbrina bussingi, a new sciaenid fish from the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. Revista de Biología Tropical, 28, 203-208.)
  8. Sazonov, Y. I. (1989). A new species of the genus Talismania Goode et Bean (Alepocephalidae) from the southeast Pacific. Journal of Ichthyology, 29, 83-87.)
  9. Loiselle, P. V. (1997). Diagnoses of two new cichlids from the Rio Sixaola Drainage, Costa Rica. Buntbarsche Bulletin, 180, 1-8.)
  10. Møller, P. R., Schwarzhans, W., & Nielsen, J. G. (2004). Review of the American Dinematichthyini (Teleostei, Bythitidae). Part I. Dinematichthys, Gunterichthys, Typhliasina and two new genera. Aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology, 8, 141-192.)
  11. Matamoros, W. A., Chakrabarty, P., Angulo, A., Garita-Alvardo, C. A., & McMahan, C. D. (2013). A new species of Roeboides (Teleostei, Characidae) from Costa Rica and Panama, with a key to the middle American species of the genus. Neotropical Ichthyology, 11, 285-290.)