Emily H. Vokes

Emily H. Vokes
Born May 21, 1930
Monroe, Louisiana
Residence Ponchatoula. Louisiana
Fields Malacology, Paleontology
Institutions Tulane University (retired 1996)

Emily Hoskins Vokes, (born May 21, 1930) is an American malacologist, palaeontologist, and a former university professor. She is also an authority on the Muricidae, a large and diverse family of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks. Vokes worked both on her own, and with her husband Harold Ernest Vokes (1908–1998).

Early Life/Biography

Emily Hoskins Vokes was born on May 21st, 1930 in Monroe, Louisiana. Although she is a prominent figure in geology now, Vokes took interest in Geology later in life. She graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans with a Bachelor of Science in Geology at the age of 30. Following this she obtained both her M.S and Ph.D from Tulane. Ultimately finishing up her studies there in 1967.[1] Eventually, Vokes became a Geology Professor Emerita and Chairwoman of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Tulane University.

Emily Hoskins Vokes was also married to geologist and fellow professor Harold E. Vokes. She and her husband were the core of the paleontological research program at Tulane University and their research collections (also at Tulane University) were some of the richest collections in the world. These collections included research findings from excursions to the Southeastern U.S., Mexico, Dominican Republic and Europe.[1]

A number of specimens collected over 40 years by Harold and Emily Vokes have been transferred to the Smithsonian, University of Florida, and to the Paleontological Research Institution. [1]These specimens are currently much more accessible for public study than when they were stored in the Geology Department at Tulane University.

Career

Vokes began her academic Career at Tulane University as an Associate Professor in 1973. She was promoted to the position of Full Professor in 1981, and later had stints as the Dean of Newcomb College and the Chair of the Geology department.[1]

While teaching classes at Tulane University as a Geology professor, Vokes published her catalog of the Genus Murex Linné (Mollusca: Gastropoda): Muricinae, Ocenebrinae. Paleontological Research Institution, 1971. This catalog talks about an expedition to Madagascar and finding six new species of Muricidae Rafinesque, 1815, three in the subfamily Muricinae Rafinesque, 1815 and two in the subfamily Muricopsinae Radwin & d'Attilio, 1971. Another publication of Vokes was the Neogene paleontology in the northern Dominican Republic. 18 The superfamily Volutacea (in part) (Mollusca:Gastropoda), 1998. This book is a study of the superfamily Volutacea’s found in the Dominican Republic.

Catalogue of the Genus Murex Linnaeus (Mollusca: Gastropoda)

The “Deep South” of Madagascar is an oceanic region of fierce promontories, open bays and extensive algal belts. The lack of infrastructures made it the least visited and least known coastline in the country. From the late 1990s, new species of mollusk started to be discovered on the coastline of the regions Anosy and Androy. Emily Vokes and Harold Vokes described the shell morphology of the mollusks, the shape and size, the color, the shape of the spire and the number of protoconch and teleoconch whorls. The genus Dermomurex is a marine mollusk that is not widely present in the Indo-West Pacific. Only two species have been recorded from the western Indian Ocean, both from South Africa, in the vicinity of Zululand. Emily found over 90 different species in Madagascar but focused mainly on six molluscs, called Muricidae Rafinesque. The six shells focused on in Vokes findings are Chicoreus (Triplex) kantori, Naquetia manwaii, Dermomurex charelesi, Favartia tantelyi, Favartia fournierae, and Semiricinula bozzettii. The subfamily Aspellinae includes Aspella which has similar distinctions to the shell Dermomurex. Dermomurex charlesi has a whorl near the top that goes into a spire and an opening at the bottom with a small protruding lip. There are three different types of Dermomurex charlesi mollusks called, D. agnesae, D. angustus, and D. goldsteini. These three are different because Dermomurex agnesae is bigger and wider in shell composition while Dermomurex angustus is long and thin. Dermomurex goldsteini is large but has a smaller width than the other two Molluscs. Emily Vokes focused on comparing each species to one another to find their distinct differences and similarities. By looking at each Mollusc and its subgenus, she was able to make findings and contributions to the classification of Muricidae Rafinesque. [2]

Neogene paleontology in the northern Dominican Republic. 18 The superfamily Volutacea

This paper [3]was written by Vokes, and based on a field trip study to the Dominican Republic. The paper was published in 1998. The study focuses on a particular group of taxa, which tend to be characterized by the presence of columellar plications. Vokes identified 19 different species of these taxa divided among eight genus-group taxa.[4]The study revealed the most numerous genera to be Vassum, which includes 6 species and Turbinella with 4 species. Other genera were found to contain fewer species. The only species found in the beds of the Gurabo Formations was Scaphella, and was the only species found in a formation representing a deep-water deposition. All others were found in the shallow-water portion of the Gurabo Formation, eleven in all. Only two of these species were confined to this formation, the others were also found in other formations. Seven species were found in the stratigraphically older Baitoa Formation. Fourteen of the species found in Vokes' study had been previously documented, but not extensively. Three of the species were considered to be new species at the time Vokes’ study was published including Lyria gabbi, Turbinella pilsbryi, and T. praetextilis. This study comes after a series of publications by Vokes and other researchers regarding the species present in the Dominican Republic. These studies are referenced throughout this publication. In addition this study is part of a larger research project encompassing stratigraphical works from across the Dominican Republic, and aims to specify the origins of the different species discovered in the rock formations of the Dominican Republic. [5]

Works

Awards and Recognitions

Vokes is a world renowned paleontologist and many awards have been given to students in order to acknowledge her extensive contribution to the research of Muricidae. The Harold and Emily Vokes Awards are given to proficient students who excel in their geology degree at Tulane University. Also the Drs. Emily H. and Harold E. Vokes Grants-in-Aid for Invertebrate Paleontology Collection- Based Research are awards of up to 500$ given to advanced undergraduate students who wish to use the collections for paleobiological research at Florida Museum of National History.[6]

Personal life

Throughout her career Vokes has always been passionate about travel. She has been able to travel the world extensively over the course of her career as an academic, and has enjoyed it thoroughly.[1]

On March 26, 2010 Emily Hoskins was part of the Tulane University Alumni trip to South Africa where they Helped Spread the "Wave of Green". While the alumni travelers were in Soweto, an urban area in the city of Johannesburg in Gauging, South Africa, they participated in the tree planting program. The program is called Alumni Holiday International (AHI), and it was developed 3 years ago. As of 2016, they have planted over 20 trees, which are cared for by the property owners. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Walker, Sally E. (2001). "Marvellously Matched Malacologists: Harold and Emily Vokes". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeocology. 166.
  2. ↑ Description of new Muricidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) collected during the ATIMO VATAE expedition to Madagascar “Deep South” (PDF). 2013. p. 503.
  3. ↑ Vokes, Emily (1989). Neogene paleontology in the northern Dominican Republic 8. The family Muricidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Bulletins of American Paleontology 97.332. p. 5.
  4. ↑ Vokes, Emily (1989). Neogene paleontology in the northern Dominican Republic 8. The family Muricidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Bulletins of American Paleontology 97.332. pp. 5–6.
  5. ↑ Neogene paleontology in the northern Dominican Republic. 18 The superfamily Volutacea
  6. ↑ "Nationwide Grants/Awards | Invertebrate Paleontology | Florida Museum". www.flmnh.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  7. ↑ Tulane University Alumni Travel

External links

See also

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