Walter Hackman (1916–2001)
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182© Entomologica Fennica. 23 November 2001 Silfverberg • ENTOMOL. FENNICA Vol. 12 Walter Hackman (1916–2001) Hans Silfverberg* 1. Hackman’s career ing the years 1972–1975 he was furthermore act- ing professor in zoology at the Division of In- Walter Hackman was born in Helsinki on 10 Oc- struction in Swedish. tober 1916. He went to secondary school in In the early years Hackman mainly concerned Läroverket för gossar och flickor, where the dis- himself with Lepidoptera. This order has been tinguished entomologist Rolf Krogerus was a bi- popular during the entire 20th century among ology teacher. Already during his school years, Finnish entomologists, but most lepidopterists Hackman showed an interest in animals, especially were content with the comparatively well-known in Lepidoptera, and once he graduated from high Macrolepidoptera. Hackman included the Micro- school in 1934 he immediately began his studies lepidoptera in his studies, and could therefore soon in zoology and botany at the University of Hel- make important additions to the knowledge of sinki. He received his master’s degree in zoology these moths. At first his contributions were in 1940, at a time when World War II was already faunistic, but after a while he also published taxo- going on. During the following years Hackman nomic revisions, the main one being his paper on served in the army, for a fairly long time at the the Finnish Coleophoridae in 1945. Even when Maanselkä front (north of Lake Onega). Like he later did most of his work on other insects, he many other Finnish entomologists posted in Rus- occasionally published some papers on Lepidop- sian Karelia, he collected insects during this time, tera. and the Zoological Museum has numerous such In his earlier years Hackman also studied spi- specimens. ders. Most of his work was on the Finnish fauna, When the war was over and Hackman was but there is also, for example, one paper on the demobilised, he soon found a position at the Zoo- spiders of Newfoundland (1954). His doctoral logical Museum. At first it was an auxiliary posi- dissertation was on the cytology of spiders. Yet tion, and during those years he also worked as a after 1957 he had just a few minor notes on this schoolteacher. In 1954 he became acting curator, animal class. and in 1957 the head of the Entomology Divi- Hackman’s major contributions to zoology sion, a position he held until 1981. During the concerned Diptera. Ever since 1919 the head of early years he worked on his doctoral disserta- the Entomology Division had been Richard Frey, tion, getting his Ph.D. in 1948, and becoming lec- a world-famous dipterist, who had acquired large turer at the University of Helsinki in 1950. Dur- materials of Diptera both from Finland and from * Hans Silfverberg, Finnish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 17, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland; E-mail: hans.silfverberg@helsinki.fi ENTOMOL. FENNICA Vol. 12 • Walter Hackman (1916–2001) 183 abroad, and this material offered many opportu- est scientific society in Finland, Societas pro Fauna nities for systematic studies. Hackman’s first pa- et Flora Fennica, has united among its members per on flies (1955) was about Finnish Droso- all kinds of biologists ever since it was founded philidae, a family that he also studied further both in 1821, although later societies offer a more spe- in Finland and abroad. Other families that he stud- cialised environment. Hackman became a mem- ied included, for example, Scatophagidae, ber of Societas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica already Sphaeroceridae and Hippoboscidae. In 1980 he in 1934, in 1965 he was elected a deputy member published a checklist of the Finnish Diptera. of the governing board, and in 1967 a board mem- At first Hackman’s work on Diptera was within ber, a post he held until 1989. Entomological so- taxonomy and faunistics, but after a while he also cieties have existed in Finland since the early 20th began to study their ecology. The first project was century, the Societas Entomologica Helsing- on Diptera living in vole burrows, then followed forsiensis was founded in 1919. Hackman became a fairly large study on fungivorous Diptera, in a member of this society in 1934, in 1955 he was collaboration with several others. The recent ex- elected its secretary, and he held this post until pansion of the deer ked Lipoptena cervi into Fin- 1980, after which he still remained a board mem- land also gave inspiration to several articles, some ber until 1984. The society published the journal of them in co-operation with medical research- “Notulae Entomologicae”, and from 1945 to 1976 ers. Hackman was a member of its editorial board, Hackman’s studies of Mallophaga should also during the years 1948–1961 as the chief editor. In be mentioned. He noticed that bird skins preserved 1986 he was elected a honorary member of the in museums occasionally still have Mallophaga society. The Finnish Lepidopterists’ Society was in them, and managed to collect a considerable founded in 1955, and during the years 1955–1965 number of such specimens. Together with W. Hackman was a board member there. Later on, he Eichler he then published in 1973 a survey of ear- was elected as an honorary member. The Soci- lier studies of this group in Finland, together with etas Scientiarum Fenniae is an academy that calls a checklist of the Finnish fauna. Later on he occa- eminent scientist as its members, and Hackman sionally returned to these insects. was elected as a member in 1955 and served as its Collecting is considered an essential part of president in 1976. In addition to these, Hackman entomology. As Hackman began his entomologi- was also elected an honorary member of the En- cal career with Lepidoptera, he also built up a tomological Society in Stockholm in 1979. considerable collection of these insects; that col- Ever since 1923, the Scandinavian entomo- lection he gave to the Zoological Museum in 1995. logical societies have arranged Scandinavian en- Otherwise he collected material mainly for the tomological congresses, which include both lec- museum collections, taking material from many tures and excursions. These have generally been different insect orders. Much of his collecting was arranged every third year, rotating among the done in southern Finland. However, some excur- countries. Such a congress was held in Finland in sions went to other areas, for example, a collect- 1947, the first one in which Hackman participated. ing trip in 1945 to the Pyhä-Häkki National Park After that he was a constant participant in these in central Finland, another in 1949 (together with congresses up to the congress held in Norway in R. Frey) to the Tana River in Finnish Lapland, 1988. He was also a member of the organising one trip in 1970 to Finnish and Swedish Lapland committee for three such congresses held in Fin- (together with E. Lakovaara), and the Low Fell land in 1959, 1971 and 1982. Project, where several entomologists from the Hackman resigned from his post as head of Zoological Museum visited Iso-Syöte and Levi- the Entomology Division in 1981. He remained a tunturi in northern Finland. One expedition to lecturer until 1983. But even as a pensioner he southern Spain in 1966 should also be mentioned. continued with his scientific work, until deterio- Scientific societies have an important role in rating eyesight prevented him from studying the Finnish science. They handle, for example, most insects themselves. He still had much material, of the publishing. Naturally, the opportunities they based on which he in his later years wrote some offer for both formal and informal contacts be- papers. tween scientists are of great importance. The old- Walter Hackman died on 8 March 2001. 184 Silfverberg • ENTOMOL. FENNICA Vol. 12 2. Published papers 1950. The male of Argenna prominula Tullgren. — Ento- mologisk Tidskrift 71: 165–167. 1951. Bidrag till kännedomen om spindelfaunan i provinsen 1937. Nonagria sparganii Esp., ny för Finlands fauna. — Tavastia borealis. — Memoranda Societatis pro Fauna Notulae Entomologicae 17: 153–154. et Flora Fennica 26: 82–85. 1940. Några småfjärilar, nya för landets fauna. — Notulae 1951. Spindlar samlade under sommaren 1949 i Utsjoki Entomologicae 20: 14–15. socken. — Memoranda Societatis pro Fauna et Flora 1941. Coleophora separatella Benander, ny för Finlands Fennica 26: 86–93. fauna. — Notulae Entomologicae 20: 74. 1951. Celldelningens mekanism — ett svårlöst problem för 1941. Die in Finnland vorkommenden Coleophora-Arten biologerna. — Nordenskiöld-Samfundets tidskrift 10: der caespitiella-Gruppe. — Notulae Entomologicae 21: 87–91. 23–28. 1952. On the insect fauna of Cyprus. Results of the expedition 1941. Stagmatophora serratella Tr., ny för landets fauna. — Notulae Entomologicae 21: 43. of 1939 by Harald, Håkan and P. H. Lindberg, IX. Lepi- 1941. För faunan nya småfjärilar. — Notulae Entomologicae doptera. — Commentationes Biologicae 13(8): 1–9. 21: 98–101. 1952. Tvenne intressanta spindelfynd från Karlö (Hailuoto). 1942. Über Bau und Lage der Ozellen bei blattminierenden — Memoranda Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica Schmetterlingsraupen. — Acta Zoologica Fennica 34: 27: 64–65. 1–37. 1952. Spindlar insamlade av W. Hellén och N. E. Saris i 1945. Om Argyroploce rufana Scop. och purpurana Haw. Kilpisjärvi. — Memoranda Societatis pro Fauna et Flora — Notulae Entomologicae 24: 108–109. Fennica 27: 65–67. 1945. Die Coleophoriden Finnlands. — Notulae Ento- 1952. A gynandromorph of the spider Troxochrus scabri- mologicae 25: 1–80. culus Westr. — Memoranda Societatis pro Fauna et 1945. Eine neue Acompsia-Art (Lep., Gelechiidae) aus Flora Fennica 27: 67–69. Finnland. — Notulae Entomologicae 25: 110–112. 1952. Contributions to the knowledge of Finnish spiders. 1945–46. Bidrag till kännedomen av våra Scythris-arter. — Memoranda Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica — Notulae Entomologicae 25: 112–114.