Alpheus Spring Packard

Who was Alpheus Spring Packard?

Alpheus Spring Packard Jr., LL.D. was an American entomologist and palaeontologist. He was the son of Alpheus Spring Packard, Sr. and the brother of William Alfred Packard. He was born in Brunswick, Maine and was Professor of Zoology and Geology at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island from 1878 until his death. He was a vocal proponent of the Neo-Lamarckian theory of evolution.

His chief work was the classification and anatomy of arthropods, and contributions to economic entomology, zoogeography, and the phylogeny and metamorphoses of insects. Packard was appointed to the United States Entomological Commission in 1877 where he served with Charles Valentine Riley and Cyrus Thomas. He wrote school textbooks, such as Zoölogy for High Schools and Colleges. His Monograph of the Bombycine Moths of North America was published in three parts.