Nathan Banks

Nathan Banks, born on April thirteenth, eighteen sixty-eight, was a distinguished American entomologist whose contributions to the fields of Neuroptera, Megaloptera, Hymenoptera, and Acarina (mites) have left a lasting impact on scientific research. His journey into the world of mites began in eighteen ninety when he joined the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), where he dedicated himself to the study of these fascinating creatures.

In nineteen oh nine, Banks made significant strides in his research by reporting numerous species from Costa Rica, including several new ones. He famously noted, "During the past few years the writer has received large series of spiders and daddy-longlegs from Costa Rica for identification." His expertise culminated in nineteen fifteen with the publication of the first comprehensive English handbook on mites, titled A Treatise on the Acarina, Or Mites, which was published by the Smithsonian Institution and spanned one hundred fourteen pages.

After leaving the USDA in nineteen sixteen, Banks continued his work at the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ), where he further explored the realms of Hymenoptera, Arachnida, and Neuroptera. His dedication to science was recognized in nineteen twenty-two when he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In nineteen twenty-four, Banks embarked on an expedition to Panama, spending approximately two months in the company of Dr. Thomas Barbour and Dr. W.M. Wheeler. Their research took them through the lush forests of Barro Colorado Island and various habitats around Panama City, which he later detailed in his work, Spiders of Panama, published in nineteen twenty-nine. Over his prolific career, Banks authored more than four hundred forty technical works between eighteen ninety and nineteen fifty-one.

On a personal note, Nathan Banks was married to Mary A. Lu Gar, and together they raised nine children: Ruth Agnes, Bessie Gertrude, Harold Bryant, Nellie May, Gilbert Shelley, Waldo Hawthorne, Dorothy Alice, Elsie Lucille, and Douglas Hartley, who sadly passed away by nineteen twenty-six.