John S. Clark

Who was John S. Clark?

John S. Clark was a Scottish entomologist well known for his study of ants in Western Australia from 1920 until 1956.

Born in Glasgow, Clark first arrived in Australia some time in the late 1910s. On 1 October 1920, he started work with the Western Australia department of agriculture, where he picked up his passion for entomology.

In 1926 he became a full-time entomologist at the National Museum in Melbourne. He spent the rest of his life exploring Australia, during which time he discovered several new species of ant. Ants and other 'economic' insects were his specialty, and he continued working and studying until his death aged 71.