11 April 2000 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 113(1): 1-12. 2000. Austin Beatty Williams (17 October 1919-27 October 1999). Biographical summary Rafael Lemaitre and Bruce B. CoUette (RL) Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560-0163, U.S.A.; (BBC) Bruce B. CoUette, National Marine Fisheries Service Systematics Laboratory, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560-0153, U.S.A. Abstract.—The professional career and aspects of the life of Austin Beatty Williams (17 October 1919-27 October 1999), Systematic Zoologist for the Systematics Laboratory of the U.S. National Marine Fisheries, are summarized. Included is a bibliography with the 118 papers published by Williams, and a list of all the new names he proposed along with the holotype repository and catalogue number of species and subspecies. Austin B. Williams (Fig. 1) was System- ter for Bulletin No. 6: "The hydrothermal atic Zoologist at the Systematics Laborato- vents of the eastern Pacific: An overview" ry, National Marine Fisheries Service (Williams 1985b). (NMFS), based at the National Museum of Austin had a distinguished career span- Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, ning five decades during which he pub- Washington, D.C. After a valiant fight with lished 118 papers (see bibliography). Bom cancer, Austin passed away at his home in in Plattsburg, Missouri in 1919, he was the Falls Church, Virginia. Shortly after his first child of Oliver Perry Williams and death, the Council of the Biological Society Lucy Sell; his siblings are brothers Hillis of Washington unanimously voted to dedi- and Oliver. He married Jean McNicol with cate this issue, the first of the new millen- whom he had their only child, David (mar- ium, to his memory. This dedication is most ried to Anita Kyle, with two children, Lau- fitting as Austin generously served the So- ren and Kyle). His family had only modest ciety in many capacities during the last means so he had to work to support his ed- quarter of the 20th century, and gave luster ucation, first at McPherson College (A.B. to the Proceedings by using it to publish 1943), and then at the University of Kansas many of his important papers. He served (Ph.D. 1951), where he studied Ozark cray- the Society as a Editor of the Proceedings fishes. His studies on these crayfishes re- (1974-1977), Vice-president (1983-1986), main among the key references to identify President (1986-1988), Past-President these decapods in the region. From 1951 to (1989-1999), Custodian of Publications 1955 he was with the University of North (1989-1995), and contributed significantly Carolina Institute of Fisheries Research, to its financial soundness as a member of studying the life history and ecology of the Finance Committee (1995-1999). He penaeid shrimps. He then worked at the was editor of Bulletin No. 3: "Symposium University of Illinois from 1956 to 1963, on the Composition and Evolution of Crus- after which he returned to the North Caro- taceans in the Cold and Temperate Waters lina Institute of Fisheries Research to con- of the World Oceans" (1979), based on the tinue his studies on marine and estuiirine results of a U.S.-U.S.S.R. Cooperative Pro- decapods. In the mid 1960s, Donald E gram. He also provided the sununary chap- Squires, Chairman of the Department of In- PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON Fig. I. Aiisliii B. Williams. Clockwi.sc from upper left: I'roni church directory. I99S: with tamily and friends at Heart Tail Ranch, Bulle County, South Dakota, one of his favorite fossil collecting sites, 31 July 1997. in back is son David, in front left to right are David's wife Anita with grandchildren Kyle and Lauren, and Nornia Samuels (Nornia Samuels); recording observations in his notebook on fossil Cretaceous decapcxis collected I'roni the Pierre Shale at Heart Tail Ranch, Butle County, South Dakota, 6 August 1997 (Gale A. Bishop); at Mount Rushmorc. South Dakota, August 1997 (Norina Samuels). vertebrate Zoology and then Deputy Direc- down. This was a loss for the Museum but tor of the National Museum of Natural His- fortunately he was hired by the NMFS' tory, Smithsonian Institution, considered Systematics Laboratory in 1971, him for a job; however, his interview with In addition to his crustacean work, Aus- Secretary Dillon Ripley did not go well tin served NMFS and the Museum in a (most probably because of Austin's non-as- number of different ways. For example, he suming personality), and he turned him represented the Allied Agencies (NMFS, VOLUME 113, NUMBER 1 Agriculture, and what was then the Fish and and usefulness in the identification of spec- Wildlife Service) on the Senate of Scientists imens while at the same time giving insight in the Museum. During his tenure in this into phylogenetic relationships. No major position, a question arose as to whether or group of decapods escaped Austin's atten- not the administrative staff of the Museum tion. He published important works on had increased significantly in the several crayfishes, peneaeoids, carideans, thalassin- preceding years. Discussion went back and ideans, lobsters, anomurans, and brachyu- forth between the Senate and the Director rans. His landmark studies on swimming of the Museum. Finally, Austin volunteered crabs of the genus Callinectes, mud shrimps to get some real data on the issue. In a typ- of the family Upogebiidae, commercial lob- ical A. B. Williams way, he systematically sters, xanthid crabs, and deep-sea hydro- went through the entire telephone directory thermal vent decapods, among others, have and counted museum administrators at 5- earned him a place in the history of Zool- year intervals, and demonstrated that the ogy. His contributions to the systematics of type of positions that the Senate considered hydrothermal vent decapods inspired other as "administrative" had in fact increased colleagues, and one genus and species of significandy. the crab family Bythograeidae Williams, He was the acknowledged expert on and 1980, was named after him {Austinograea leader in studies of the systematics of east- williamsi Hessler & Martin, 1989, Journal em American decapod crustaceans. He is of Crustacean Biology 9(4):645-661). In probably best known for his widely used March of 1996 he traveled to Kumamoto, monograph "Shrimps, lobsters, and crabs Japan, on a Japanese fellowship program to of the Atlantic coast of the eastern United join Keiji Baba (Kumamoto University Fac- States" published by the Smithsonian in ulty of Ecucation) in the study of galatheids 1984. His earlier study on the decapods of and other vent decapods from hydrother- the Carolinas published in 1965, a precursor mally active sites in the western Pacific. Al- to his 1984 monograph, was selected as a though his work concentrated on aspects of Science Citation Classic in 1983, a rare systematics and evolution, he also pub- honor for a systematist. His invaluable pa- lished key studies on the biology of com- per (Williams 1987a) on the identification mercial penaeid shrimps, ecology of mero- of spiny lobsters by color patterns of the plankton, larval genetics, and crustacean tails grew into a book co-authored with I. fisheries and mariculture. At the time of his Dore, entitled "Lobsters of the world—an death he had completed work but unfortu- illustrated guide" (Williams & Dore nately left unpublished, an important revi- 1988e); these two publications are indis- sion of the crab family Latreilliidae. pensable for anybody interested in this Austin's impact on carcinology is not group of economically significant decapods. limited to that derived from his publica- The primary focus of his research was tions. Throughout his exemplary career he the taxonomy, systematics, biogeography actively participated in many professional and evolution of various decapod groups, societies in addition to the Biological So- both fossil and Recent. He named 101 new ciety of Washington. He was president of decapod taxa (see list), including one su- the Atlantic Estuarine Research Society perfamily, 2 families, 16 genera, 80 species, (1960-1961); co-founder, secretary (1971- and 2 subspecies. Occasionally he also 1973), and president (1983-1985) of the worked on other groups such as cirripeds, Estuarine Research Federation; secretary mysids, amphipods, and euphausiids, and (1985-1988) for the Society of Systematic even bird ecology. His publications provide Biology; associate editor for The Crusta- us with a standard of excellence, and are cean Society (1986-1991); and vice-presi- well known for attention to detail, accuracy. dent (1990-1991) and president (1991- PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 1992) of the American Association for Zoo- knowledge of decapods made him an im- logical Nomenclature. He was also a mem- posing figiure to both students and junior ber of the American Association for the colleagues; however, his modesty was such Advancement of Science, American Fish- that he made sure to treat everyone as a eries Society, American Institute of Biolog- friend or colleague of similar stature. He ical Sciences, American Institute of Fishery accepted life-time honors bestowed upon Research Biologists, American Society of him by his peers only hesitantly, and main- Limnology and Oceanography, Society for tained until his end that he was undeserving Integrative and Comparative Biology (for- of such attention. His personality, working merly American