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Kohout, Rudolf J.
| Rudolf J. Kohout | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
29 April 1933 Czechoslovakia |
| Died |
26 May 2016 (aged 83) Brisbane, Queensland |
| Nationality | Australian |
Biographical Notes
Rudolf J. Kohout was born in Checheslovakia where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts. After emigrating to Australia, he worked for many years at the CSIRO where he was a specialist on scientific illustrations of ants.
He soon developed into a taxonomic expert on the species rich ant genus Polyrhachis commonly known as spiny ants. Rudy continued working on spiny ants even after his retirement when he became an honorary research fellow of the Queensland Museum in Brisbane. Altogether he worked more than two and a half decades on Polyrhachis. During this period, he published more than 40 publications on these ants. Rudy is well known among ant researcher for his thorough revisions where he altogether described more than 250 Polyrhachis species new to science. His work is crucial for the modern understanding of this important and diverse ant genus of the old world tropics. Beside being a prolific taxonomist, Rudy was also a very keen field scientist with own collecting works in many countries: Australia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Brunei and many more. With the specimens collected in these countries, he built up a large collection of spiny ants, but he also kept his collection growing by exchanging samples with other ant researchers. On the other side, he was always helpful when his colleagues needed some Polyrhachis specimens for their own studies.
Rudy loved being connected with other ant researchers. Those you meet him personally describe him as a great friend and colleague as well as an engaging companion and an endless fund of good stories. With his support to ANeT (International Network for the Study of Asian Ants), he was especially engaged in supporting the next generation of myrmecologists. Therefore, he was awarded 2007 at the 6th ANeT meeting in India with a special award for his extraordinary contribution to myrmecology in Asia. He also supported the start of Asian Myrmecology, the scientific journal of ANeT. For this reason, he published many of his high quality taxonomic publications in the very first issues of this journal which were an important cornerstone for the later success of Asian Myrmecology. He was also honored by Australian colleagues who named a new discovered spiny ant after Rudy: Polyrhachis kohouti Hoffmann 2015.
Rudy passed away after a long illness on 26th May 2016. His family, friends and colleagues still miss him, but they will always keep alive the memory of Rudy.
(Provided by AntBase.net).
Ant Taxonomy
Rudy Kohout published numerous papers on the genus Polyrhachis.
Obituary
- Robson, S., Yamane, S. 2021. Obituary, Rudolf Josef Kohout. Asian Myrmecology 14: e014004 (doi:10.20362/am.014004).
Publications
- Dorow, W. H. O.; Kohout, R. J. 1995. A review of the subgenus Hemioptica Roger of the genus Polyrhachis Fr. Smith with description of a new species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Zool. Meded. (Leiden) 69: 93-104.
- Dorow, W. H. O.; Kohout, R. J.; Taylor, R. W. 1997. Polyrhachis Smith, 1857 (Insecta, Hymenoptera): proposed precedence over Myrma Billberg, 1820. Bull. Zool. Nomencl. 54: 236-241.
- Kohout, R. J. 1987. Three new Polyrhachis sexspinosa-group species from the Philippines (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 25: 169-176.
- Kohout, R. J. 1988a. New nomenclature of the Australian ants of the Polyrhachis gab Forel species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Aust. Entomol. Mag. 15: 49-52.
- Kohout, R. J. 1988b. A new species of Polyrhachis (Polyrhachis) from Papua New Guinea with a review of the New Guinean and Australian species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 25: 417-427.
- Kohout, R. J. 1988c. Nomenclatural changes and new Australian records in the ant genus Polyrhachis Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 25: 429-438.
- Kohout, R. J. 1989. The Australian ants of the Polyrhachis relucens species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 27: 509-516.
- Kohout, R. J. 1990. A review of the Polyrhachis viehmeyeri species-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 28: 499-508
- Kohout, R. J. 1994a. New synonymy of three Australian ants (Formicidae: Formicinae: Polyrhachis). Mem. Qld. Mus. 35: 135-136.
- Kohout, R. J. 1994b. Polyrhachis lama, a new ant from the Tibetan plateau (Formicidae: Formicinae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 35: 137-138.
- Kohout, R. J. 1998. New synonyms and nomenclatural changes in the ant genus Polyrhachis Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 42: 505-531
- Kohout, R. J. 2000. A review of the distribution of the Polyrhachis and Echinopla ants of the Queensland wet tropics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 46: 183-209.
- Kohout, R.J. 2006a. A review of the Polyrhachis cryptoceroides species-group with description of a new species from Thailand. Myrmecologische Nachrichten 8: 145-150.
- Kohout, R. J. 2006b. Review of Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) of Australia, Borneo, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands with descriptions of new species. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 52:87-146.
- Kohout, R.J. 2006c. A new species of Polyrhachis (Aulacomyrma) Emery from Papua New Guinea. Australian Entomologist. 33:77-80.
- Kohout, R.J. 2006d. New species of the Polyrhachis (Myrma) parabiotica species group from the Philippines. Australian Entomologist 33: 155-163.
- Kohout, R.J. 2007a. Revision of the subgenus Aulacomyrma Emery of the genus Polyrhachis F. Smith, with descriptions of new species (pp. 186-253). In Snelling, R.R., Fisher, B.L. & Ward, P.S. (eds). Advances in ant systematics: homage to E.O. Wilson – 50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80: 690 pp.
- Kohout, R.J. 2007b. Polyrhachis (Myrmhopla) maryatiae, a new species of the armata-group from Borneo. Asian Myrmecology 1: 1-5.
- Kohout, R.J. 2007c. A review of the subgenus Polyrhachis (Campomyrma) Wheeler from Borneo with descriptions of new species. Asian Myrmecology 1: 7-17.
- Kohout, R.J. 2007d. A new species of the subgenus Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) Forel from Borneo. Australian Entomologist 34: 115-118.
- Kohout, R.J. 2008a. A review of the Polyrhachis ants of Sulawesi with keys and descriptions of new species. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 52: 255-317.
- Kohout, R.J. 2008b. A new Polyrhachis (Myrma) vestita-group species from Sulawesi. Zoologische Mededeelingen, Leiden. 82: 297-302.
- Kohout, R.J. 2008c. Two new species of Polyrhachis Fr. Smith from Australia, based on formerly quadrinomial taxa. Australian Entomologist. 35: 161-171.
- Kohout, R.J. 2009a. A new species of the Polyrhachis (Myrmhopla) flavoflagellata-group from Borneo. Asian Myrmecology 2 (2008): 11-16.
- Kohout, R.J. 2009b. A new species and nomenclatural changes in the subgenus Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) Forel. Australian Entomologist 36: 37-48.
- Kohout, R.J. 2010. A review of the Australian Polyrhachis ants of the subgenera Myrmhopla Forel and Hirtomyrma subgen. nov. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature 55: 167-204.
- Kohout, R.J. 2012. A review of the Australian Polyrhachis ants of the subgenera Myrma Billberg, Myrmatopa Forel, Myrmothrinax Forel and Polyrhachis F. Smith. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature 56: 25-59.
- Kohout, R. J. 2013a. A review of the Polyrhachis xiphias species-group of the subgenus Campomyrma Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Asian Myrmecology. 5:21-27.
- Kohout, R. J. 2013b. A review of the Polyrhachis gravis and micans species-groups of the subgenus Campomyrma Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum - Nature. 56:92-117.
- Kohout, R. J. 2013c. Revision of Polyrhachis (Hagiomyrma) Wheeler, 1911 (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum - Nature 56:487-577.
- Kohout, R. J. 2013d. A review of the Polyrhachis aculeata species-group of the subgenus Myrma Billberg (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae), with keys and descriptions of new species. Australian Entomologist 40(3):137-171.
- Kohout, R.J. 2013e. A review of the Polyrhachis continua species-group of the subgenus Myrma Billberg (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) with keys and descriptions of new species. Australian Entomologist 40(1), 13-46.
- Kohout, R.J. 2013f. Polyrhachis (Myrmothrinax) nepenthicola, a new species of the thrinax-group inhabiting pitcher plants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Australian Entomologist 40, 47-52.
- Kohout, R. J. 2014. A review of the subgenus Polyrhachis (Polyrhachis) Fr. Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) with keys and description of a new species. Asian Myrmecology 6:1-31.
- Kohout, R. J.; Taylor, R. W. 1990. Notes on Australian ants of the genus Polyrhachis Fr. Smith, with a synonymic list of the species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 28: 509-522.
- Maschwitz, U.; Go, C.; Dorow, W. H. O.; Buschinger, A.; Kohout, R. J. 2003. Polyrhachis loweryi (Formicinae): a guest ant parasitizing Rhytidoponera sp. (Ponerinae) in Queensland, Australia. Insectes Soc. 50: 69-76.
- Noon-anant, N.; Kohout, R.; Watanasit, S.; Yamane, S.; Wiwatwitaya, D. 2009. Additional records of Polyrhachis (Myrmatopa) varicolor Viehmeyer (Formicidae: Formicinae) from Southern Thailand, with notes on Its nesting habits. The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University 9(2):171-188.
- Pfeiffer, M.; Mezger, D.; Hosoishi, S.; Bakhtiar, E. Y.; Kohout, R. J. 2011. The Formicidae of Borneo (Insecta: Hymenoptera): a preliminary species list. Asian Myrmecology 4:9-58.
- Robson, S. K. A.; Kohout, R. J. 2007. A review of the nesting habits and socioecology of the ant genus Polyrhachis Fr. Smith. Asian Myrmecology 1:81-99. [2007-08]
- Robson, S. K. A.; Kohout, R. J. 2008. Nest construction in the arboreal ant Polyrhachis tubifex Karavaiev, 1926. Asian Myrmecology 2:121-123.
- Robson, S. K. A.; Kohout, R. J.; Beckenbach, A. T.; Moreau, C. S. 2015. Evolutionary transitions of complex labile traits: silk weaving and arboreal nesting in Polyrhachis ants. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 69:449-458.