Robert Louis Cecil Pilgrim (26 August 1921 – 7 April 2010) was a New Zealand entomologist who is best known for his extensive research on fleas and bird lice.
Early life and education Pilgrim was born in Christchurch on 26 August 1921. He attended Christchurch Boys' Highschool but had to leave when he was 16 years old after his father's business collapsed during the Great Depression. While working as a public servant, he became a part-time student at Canterbury College and completed a Bachelor of Science in 1943.
After completing his bachelor's degree, Pilgrim served as a biochemist and diagnostician in the New Zealand Medical Corps during World War 2, during which he was stationed in New Caledonia. Pilgrim was released from his service to work as an essential research assistant.
Pilgrim then completed a Master of Science in zoology at Canterbury College in 1947, in which he wrote a thesis on freshwater mussels. After this, he went to England to undertake a PhD at London University College, which he completed in 1951.
Career Once Pilgrim returned to New Zealand after completing his PhD, he became a lecturer at Canterbury College and eventually became a senior lecturer in 1954. In 1957 he was given a fellowship that allowed him to conduct postdoctoral work in California, Washington, England and Italy. After this period he returned to New Zealand and continued to work at Canterbury College until his retirement in 1983.
Although Pilgrim is mainly known for his extensive research on fleas and bird lice, he researched many other topics such as neurophysiology, mussels and a wide range of New Zealand's invertebrates.
Death Pilgrim died on 7 April 2010 from a heart attack while at home.
Eponymy Pilgrim has numerous species of invertebrates named after him.
Analges pilgrimi Mironov & Galloway, 2002 Aorangia pilgrimi Forster & Wilton, 1973 Ardeicola pilgrimi Tandan, 1972 Colpocephalum pilgrimi Price, 1967 Degeeriella mookerjeei pilgrimi Tendeiro, 1979 Forficuloecus pilgrimi Guimarães, 1985 Mecaderochondria pilgrimi Ho & Dojiri, 1987 Neocyproidea pilgrimi Hurley, 1955 Notiopsylla peregrinus Smit, 1979 Nuncia (Micronuncia) roeweri pilgrimi Forster 1954 Plectophanes pilgrimi Forster, 1964 Pseudomenopon pilgrimi Price, 1974 Rallicola pilgrimi Clay, 1972 Scherocumella pilgrimi (Jones, 1963) Schistobrachia pilgrimi Kabata, 1988 Spilomicrus pilgrimi Early, 1978 Trizocheles pilgrimi Forest & McLaughlin, 2000
Selected publications Pilgrim, R.L.C. (1954). Waste of carbon and of energy in nitrogen excretion. Nature 173: 491–492. https://doi.org/10.1038/173491a0 Pilgrim, R.L.C. (1970). Knowledge of New Zealand Mecoptera, Mallophaga, Anoplura and Siphonaptera. New Zealand Entomologist 4(3): 72–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/00779962.1970.9722925 Pilgrim, R.L.C. (1980). The New Zealand flea fauna. Pp. 173– 184. In: Traub, R. and Starcke, H. (eds). Fleas. Proceedings of the International Conference on Fleas, Ashton Wold, Peterborough, UK, 21–25 June 1977. Rotterdam: A.A. Balkema. x + 420 pp. Horning, D.S., Palma, R.L. and Pilgrim, R.L.C. (1980). The lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from the Snares Islands, New Zealand. National Museum of New Zealand Miscellaneous Series 3. 17 pp Pilgrim, R.L.C. (1992). An historic collection of fleas (Siphonaptera) in the Macleay Museum, Sydney, Australia. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 113(1): 77–86. Pilgrim, R.L.C. (1992). Preparation and examination of flea larvae (Siphonaptera) by light and electron microscopy. Journal of Medical Entomology 29(6): 953–959. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/29.6.953 Pilgrim, R.L.C. (1998). Larvae of the genus Notiopsylla (Siphonaptera: Pygiopsyllidae) with a key to their identification. Journal of Medical Entomology 35(4): 362–376. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/35.4.362 Pilgrim, R.L.C. and Galloway, T.D. (2007). Descriptions of flea larvae (Siphonaptera: Hystrichopsyllidae, Ctenophthalmi - dae, Leptopsyllidae) of the specific parasites of the mountain beaver (Rodentia: Aplodontidae) in North America. Canadian Entomologist 139: 489–509. https://doi.org/10.4039/n06-072
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