Leslie Christidis

{{Short description|Australian ornithologist (born 1959)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Leslie Christidis | other_names = Les Christidis | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|05|30}} | nationality = | fields = Ornithology | workplaces = Southern Cross University National Marine Science Centre<br>Australian Museum<br>Museum Victoria | alma_mater = University of Melbourne (B.Sc.)<br>Australian National University (Ph.D.) | thesis_year = 1985 | known_for = Research on evolution and systematics of birds; demonstrating Australian origin of songbirds | awards = W. Roy Wheeler Medallion (2005) | author_abbrev_zoo = Christidis }} '''Leslie Christidis''' (born 30 May 1959),<ref>[http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P003126b.htm Bright Sparcs. Biographical entry Leslie Christidis (Short biography)]</ref> also simply known as '''Les Christidis''', is an Australian ornithologist. His main research field is the evolution and systematics of birds. He has been director of Southern Cross University National Marine Science Centre since 2009. He was assistant director at Sydney's Australian Museum from 2004 to 2009.

Leslie Christidis graduated as Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne in 1980. In 1985, he earned his Ph.D. at the Australian National University, where he studied the evolutionary genetics of Australian finches.

During his research studies, he first worked as a CSIRO post-doctoral fellow and then as the recipient of Queen Elizabeth II fellowship, he demonstrated that 4,500 species of the world's songbirds had their origin in Australia.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090217230750/http://evolution09.com.au/symposium-speakers.php#lchristidis Evolution - The Experience Symposium Speakers Leslie Christidis (Short biography)]</ref> Les Christidis was Senior Curator of Ornithology at the Museum Victoria from 1987 to 1996.

Les Christidis is the author or co-author of over 100 scientific papers and books on the taxonomy and evolutionary genetics of birds, bats, marsupials, bryozoans and more recently on cultural intangible heritage. Together with Walter E. Boles he published ''The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and Its Territories'', with several revisions on Australasian birds including the family Acanthizidae. Together with Richard Schodde he described ''Amytornis barbatus diamantina'', a subspecies of the grey grasswren, in 1987.<ref>Schodde, R., and L. Christidis. 1987. ''Genetic differentiation and subspeciation in the grey grasswren Amytornis barbatus (Maluridae)''. Emu 87:188-192.</ref> He further described two subfamilies, Amalocichlinae and Pachycephalopsinae, and a genus, ''Cryptomicroeca'' in 2012.<ref>Christidis, L.; Irestedt, M.; Rowe, D.; Boles, W. E.; Norman, J. A.: ''Circumscription, diagnosis and description of two subfamilies and one genus of Australo-Papuan robins (Aves: Passeriformes: Petroicidae)''. Zootaxa 3560: 87–88</ref>

He was awarded the W. Roy Wheeler Medallion in 2005.

==Selected works== *Les Christidis, Walter Boles: ''The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and Its Territories''. ''Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union'', 1994. {{ISBN|978-1-875122-06-6}} *Les Christidis, Walter Boles: ''Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds''. CSIRO Publishing. 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-643-06511-6}}

==References== <references />

==External links== *[http://amonline.net.au/birds/stuff/bird_list.htm Australian Bird List] (compiled on basis of ''The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories'' by Boles/Christidis (1994))

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christidis, Leslie}} Category:1959 births Category:Australian ornithologists Category:Australian curators Category:University of Melbourne alumni Category:Australian National University alumni Category:Living people