DISTANT, William Lucas

Born at Rotherhithe the son of Captain Alexander Distant ‘who in old South-Sea whaling-days, sailed round and round the world, and transmitted a love of roaming to his sons’ (dedication by William in a Naturalist in the Transvaal (1892)). It was in his father's company on one of these voyages, which set out on 5 August 1867 for the Malayan Peninsula, that Distant acquired the love of natural history, and particularly entomology, which was to dominate the rest of his life. In his early career Distant was connected with a tannery. The work involved making two extensive trips to the Transvaal, the first between 1890-1891 and the second, a few years later, for a period of four years. During both visits he made extensive collections of insects including Coleoptera. His book A Naturalist in the Transvaal, 1892, written after the first trip, includes a list of Coleoptera (with text and determinations by C.J.Gahan, M. Jacoby, H.W.Bates, G.Lewis, C.O.Waterhouse and others) occupying 23 pages (187-210). The second resulted in the publication of a much more extensive work under the title Insecta Transvaaliensia, twelve parts of which were issued between 1900-1911 as volume 1. The NHM purchased many thousands of Coleoptera and other insects collected by Distant during his two trips in ten main and several smaller instalments, before 1920. After his return Distant became increasingly involved with the Rhynchota and it is for his work on this group that he is chiefly known by entomologists. He worked exclusively on them at the NHM between 1899-1920 for two or three days each week and the group forms the subject of most his large number of publications. The Eumolpid beetle Merius distanti was named after him by Jacoby. Distant's health failed as a result of cancer and he died in a nursing home at Wanstead. Gilbert (1977) lists six obituaries and other notices. There is correspondence in the RESL with Herbert Druce and Roland Trimen (Pedersen (2002)). FRES from 1875 (Secretary 1878-80, Vice President 1881,1900); member of the Societe Entomologique de France from 1868; Director and Honorary Secretary of the Anthropological Institute 1878-1881, Editor of the Zool 1897-1914; and Member of the Societe Entomologique de Belgique. (MD 6/02, 11/09)