Adam White (zoologist)

Adam White (1817 – 1879) was a Scottish zoologist. He worked primarily at the British Museum, specializing in the classification and cataloging of insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and other invertebrates.

White was born in Perth, Scotland, and received his early education there. He joined the British Museum in 1835 as an assistant in the zoology department, a position he held until his retirement in 1863. During his tenure, he significantly contributed to the museum's invertebrate collections through his meticulous cataloging and descriptions of newly discovered species.

His research encompassed a wide range of taxa, including beetles (Coleoptera), butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), spiders (Araneae), and various crustaceans. He authored numerous scientific papers and publications, many of which were descriptive catalogs of invertebrate collections from around the world. Notable works include the List of Crustacea in the Collection of the British Museum (1847) and Nomenclature of Coleopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum (1847-1851), co-authored with G.R. Waterhouse. His publications provided important insights into the taxonomy and distribution of various invertebrate groups and remain valuable resources for researchers.

Adam White was a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. His contributions to invertebrate zoology helped to establish the foundation for modern taxonomic research in these fields.