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.
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| Yoshidaphycus ciliatus (Okamura) Mikami 1992 |