Robert Price Higgins (October 8, 1932 – December 18, 2022) was an American systematic invertebrate zoologist and ecologist, who specialized in the unusual taxa of kinorhynchs and tardigrades.
Early life and education Robert P. Higgins was born on October 8, 1932, in Denver, Colorado, to Jay Higgins and Amy E (Gates) Higgins,Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, United States: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Census Place: Denver, Denver, Colorado; Roll: m-t0627-00486; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 16-85.Ancestry.com. U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1 [database on-line]. Lehi, Utah, United States: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Voter Registration Lists, Public Record Filings, Historical Residential Records, and Other Household Database Listings. and he attended South High School in Denver, graduating in 1950.Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999 [database on-line]. Lehi, Utah, United States: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. He attended the University of Colorado Boulder where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees studying in the laboratory of invertebrate zoologist Robert William Pennak, and on the advice of Pennak, he attended Duke University, as a James W. Duke Fellow, earning his Ph.D. in 1961.
Career In 1961, Higgins started his career in academia as a faculty member in the Biology Department at Wake Forest University, and in 1968 he had a one-year post-doctoral research position at the Marine Biological Laboratory in the Systematics-Ecology program. In 1969, he joined the Smithsonian Institution in the as a biological oceanographer. Higgins served as Director of the Centre for Mediterranean Marine Classification 1969–1971, Program Director of Limnology and Oceanography, 1971–1974, acting director, International Programme on Environmental Sciences in 1974, Zoologist Superior from 1974 to 1978, and Curator, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History in 1978. Higgins retired from the Smithsonian Institution in 1996.
Death Higgins died in Asheville, North Carolina on December 18, 2022, at the age of 90.
Selected publications 1959: Life history of Macrobiotus islandicus Richters with notes on other tardigrades from Colorado. Transactions of the American Microscopical Society 78(2): pages 137–154. https://doi.org/10.2307/3224022 1967: The revival of Macrobiotus areolatus Murray (Tardigrada) from the Cryptobiotic State. Crowe, J.H., & Higgins, R.P. 1967. Transactions of the American Microscopical Society 86(3): pages 286–294. 1975: Occurrence of the genus Tanarctus Renaud-Debyser, 1959 in Northeastern Atlantic waters with a description of T. ramazzotti n. sp. (Arthrotardigrada).Renaud-Mornant, J. and Higgins, R.P., eds., 1975. Occurrence of the genus Tanarctus Renaud-Debyser, 1959 in Northeastern Atlantic waters with a description of T. ramazzotti n. sp. (Arthrotardigrada). Memorie dell'Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia Dott. Marco de Marchi, volume 32, suppl.: International Symposium on Tardigrades, Pallanza, Italy, June 17–19, 1974: pages 325–332. 1983: The Atlantic barrier reef ecosystem at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, II: Kinorhyncha.Higgins, Robert R.P. 1983: The atlantic barrier reef ecosistema at Carrie Bow cay, Belize, II: Kinorhyncha.Smithsonian Contribution to the Marine Sciences, 18 131p. 1984: A New Family of Arthrotardigrada (Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada) from the Atlantic Coast of Florida, United StatesKristensen, R.M. and Higgins, R.P., 1984. A New Family of Arthrotardigrada (Tardigrada: Heterotardigrada) from the Atlantic Coast of Florida, United States Transactions of the American Microscopical Society, volume 103, number 3: pages 295–311. 1986: New Loricifera from southeastern United States coastal Waters.Higgins, Robert P.; Kristensen, R.M. 1986: New Loricifera from southeastern United States coastal waters Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 438 Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington D.C.. III, 70 pages ISSN 0081-0282 1988: Introduction to the Study of Meiofauna.Higgins, R.P. and Thiel, Hjalmar. 1988: Introduction to the Study of Meiofauna. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988 – 488
Taxa and species described by Higgins Cryptorhagina Higgins, 1968 Condyloderes Higgins, 1969 Dracoderidae Higgins & Shirayama, 1990 Dracoderes Higgins & Shirayama, 1990 Nanaloricus gwenae Kristensen, Heiner & Higgins, 2007 Neocentrophyes Higgins, 1969 Neocentrophyidae Higgins, 1969 Paracentrophyes Higgins, 1983 Pliciloricidae Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Pliciloricus dubius Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Pliciloricus enigmaticus Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Pliciloricus gracilis Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Pliciloricus orphanus Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Pliciloricus profundus Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Pliciloricus Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Rugiloricus carolinensis Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Rugiloricus cauliculus Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Rugiloricus ornatus Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Rugiloricus Higgins & Kristensen, 1986 Sphenoderes Higgins, 1969 Sphenoderes indicus Higgins, 1969 Zelinkaderes Higgins, 1990 Zelinkaderidae Higgins, 1990
Taxa described in honor of Higgins Parastygarctus higginsi Renaud-Debyser, 1965 Halicaris higginsi Newell, 1984 Echinoderes higginsi Huys & Coomans, 1989 Araphura higginsi Sieg & Dojiri, 1989 Halicryptus higginsi Shirley & Storch, 1999 Ptychostomella higginsi Clausen, 2004 Fissuroderes higginsi Neuhaus & Blasche, 2006 Typhlamphiascus higginsi Chullasorn 2009 Isoechiniscoides higginsi (Hallas & Kristensen, 1982)
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