Name Ryuichi Matsuda Role Author | Died July 24, 2013 | |
Ryuichi Matsuda (July 8, 1920 – June 19, 1986) was a Japanese entomologist.
He obtained his PhD in entomology from Stanford University. He worked at the Biosystematics Research Institute of Canada.
He wrote several works on the comparative morphology of insects. He is most well known for his controversial book Animal Evolution in Changing Environments (1987).
He coined the term "pan-environmentalism" for his evolutionary theory which he saw as a fusion of Darwinism with neo-Lamarckism. He held that heterochrony is a main mechanism for evolutionary change and that novelty in evolution can be generated by genetic assimilation. His views were criticized by Arthur M. Shapiro for providing no solid evidence for his theory. Shapiro noted that "Matsuda himself accepts too much at face value and is prone to wish-fulfilling interpretation."
Interest in Matsuda's research was revived by Brian K. Hall, Gerd B. Müller and others in the volume Environment, Development, and Evolution: Toward a Synthesis (2004) which was a tribute to his ideas.