John McCrady of South Carolina: pioneer student of North American Hydrozoa

Abstract

South Carolina naturalist John McCrady (1831–1881), a protégé of Louis Agassiz, was a pioneer in the study of Hydrozoa in North America. McCrady undertook investigations on hydrozoan life cycles, and provided thorough descriptions of most taxa. At least 20 of the families, genera, and species that he described and named are still recognised as valid. His ideas concerning classification and nomenclature within the Hydrozoa were remarkable for their time. As a result of the American Civil War, personal problems, cultural predilections, and preoccupation with other scientific interests, McCrady discontinued his hydrozoan research after 1860. Thereafter, his efforts in science were devoted to formulating a “Law of Development”, and to criticism of Darwinian theory.