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Lightfoot, Robert Mark (1864-1921)

Worked at the South African Museum and collected many things including insects, spiders and scorpions.

Hesse (A century and a half of entomology at the South African Museum. Unpublished manuscript): "[Robert Lightfoot was] physically a hunchback, who among his multifarious duties at the [S.A.] Museum was a clerk, "other assistance", a handyman, technical assistant in charge of Mollusca, a technical assistant and handyman of Péringuey (while the latter spent most of his time as Inspector of Vineyards for phylloxera), and a general collector. His name as a donor of insects was first recorded in 1882 when he presented a species of Mutilla to the Museum. Since that first record he collected, either privately or on special missions many thousands of insects, spiders and scorpions. The name of "R.M. Lightfoot" on locality labels of specimens is scattered through most of the store boxes and cabinets in the Museum, silent witness to the memory and collecting activity of this great collector."

Text by Hamish G. Robertson