OBITUARY:
DR. TADAO YOSHIDA (July 8, 1933 – November 11, 2024)
With
great sadness, we announce the passing of Dr. Tadao Yoshida, Professor Emeritus
at Hokkaido University, Japan. He was a renowned member of the Japanese phycological
community, celebrated for his groundbreaking research on the taxonomy of algae,
particularly Sargassum and other species. His seminal work, Marine Algae of
Japan (Yoshida 1998), cataloged all recognized species of marine algae in the
region. Not only marine algae, but he also studied the taxonomy of some
freshwater red algae including Nemalionopsis and Thorea.
Dr.
Yoshida earned his BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. at the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu
University, obtaining his Ph.D degree (in Agriculture) in 1964. His research and teaching
careers spanned three esteemed institutions: Kyushu University (1962), the
Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute (1962–1968), and the Faculty of
Science, Hokkaido University (1968–1997). During his time at Hokkaido
University, he also earned another Ph.D. degree (in Science).
An
active member of the Japanese Society of Phycology for many years, Dr. Yoshida
served as its President from 1995 to 1996. In recognition of his significant
and long-standing contributions to phycology, he was honored with the Japanese
Society of Phycology’s Yamada Award in 2016.
His
name is commemorated in several algal species in recognition of his
contributions to phycology:
Genus
Yoshidaphycus Mikami, 1992
Yoshidaphycus
ciliatus (Okamura) Mikami 1992
Sargassum yoshidae G.C.Trono 1994
Gelidium yoshidae G.H.Boo &
R.Terada 2016
Dr.
Ryuta Terada, head of the Laboratory of Marine Botany at Kagoshima University,
had a longstanding history of communication with Dr. Yoshida, which began when
Terada met him as a student at Hokkaido University in the 1990s. Their
collaborative research continued even after Yoshida’s retirement from Hokkaido
University in 1997. Together, they conducted a government survey on the marine
algal flora and endangered freshwater algae in Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands
during the 2000s, which included the discovery of a new species, Sargassum
ryukyuense, from Okinawa and Amami (Shimabukuro et al. 2008). Dr. Masahiro Suzuki, an
Assistant Professor at the same laboratory, also collaborated with Dr. Yoshida,
resulting in the publication of The Checklist of Marine Algae of Japan
in 2015.
The
members of the Laboratory of Marine Botany at Kagoshima University are deeply
grateful for Dr. Yoshida’s invaluable service and contributions.
May
he rest in peace.
 |
| Yoshidaphycus
ciliatus (Okamura) Mikami 1992 |
