Richard Vogt (herpetologist)

Richard Carl "Dick" Vogt (August 06, 1949 – January 17, 2021) was an American herpetologist based in Brazil. He was the director of the Centro de Estudos de Quelônios da Amazônia (Center for the Study of Amazonian Turtles) at the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA).^[2]

Richard Vogt
Born	(1949-08-06)August 6, 1949
Died	January 17, 2021(2021-01-17) (aged 71)^[1] Manaus, Brazil
Nationality	American
Known for	Herpetology

Career

Vogt received his PhD in 1978 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his dissertation focused on the systematics and ecology of the false map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica).^[3] The same year, he became a Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.^[4]

In March 2000, Wildlife Conservation magazine wrote about Vogt's work in his role as Curator of reptiles and amphibians for the Museum of INPA in Manaus. At the time, his research was focused on working with communities in Mamirauá to monitor and safeguard the population levels of both the six-tubercled Amazon River turtle (Podocnemis sextuberculata) and the yellow-headed sideneck turtle (Podocnemis unifilis).^[5]

In 2013, Vogt was part of a group of authors who published a paper^[6] in the Journal of Comparative Psychology that described findings which they considered to be the "...first evidence of acoustic communication mediating posthatching parental care in chelonians." The vocalization study focused on recordings of the acoustic behavior of the Arrau turtle (Podocnemis expansa) as both hatchlings and adult turtles, with the theory that these sounds assist in synchronised hatching and emergence, and in the hatchlings' seeking of female turtle attention to accompany them during migration. In 2017, this research was expanded to show that the pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) also emits underwater sounds.^[7]

In 2006, Vogt was part of the assessment panel which determined the critically endangered status of the Central American river turtle (Dermatemys mawii).^[8] Similarly in 2016, he assisted in assessing the critically endangered status of Hoge's side-necked turtle (Messoclemmys hogei).^[9]

Awards and recognition

In 2014, the impact of Vogt's research was highlighted when he was awarded the 9th Annual 2014 Behler Turtle Conservation Award.^[10] The Award is presented in memory of herpetologist John L. Behler.

In May 2018, a newly identified endangered Mexican turtle species, Kinosternon vogti, was named for Vogt, to honour his more than 40 years in the field, scientific impact and mentorship of younger scientists.^[11][12]

In July 2018, Vogt received the Distinguished Herpetologist Award at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists by the Herpetologists' League. During his acceptance address, several images of "scantily clad female students" in his presentation were covered up by conference staff without informing Vogt, and the photographs were criticized by other members in attendance.^[13] In response to the controversy, the Herpetologist's League rescinded Vogt's award due to the inappropriate images and the rumors of him behaving inappropriately toward colleagues, and instituted a new diversity and inclusion committee.^[14] Vogt did not respond to allegations concerning his behavior, but said that the interference of his slides "made matters worse by suggesting to people that there was something wrong with the material".^[15]

Books

• Vogt, Richard C. (1981). Natural history of amphibians and reptiles in Wisconsin, Milwaukee Public Museum.
• Tait, Noel, Vogt, Richard C., Dingle, Hugh (consultants) (2006). The encyclopedia of reptiles, amphibians & invertebrates: a complete visual guide, Fog City Press. Republished in 2014.
• Vogt, Richard C. (2008). Amazon turtles, INPA, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia.
• Legler, John M. and Vogt, Richard C. (2013). The turtles of Mexico: land and freshwater forms, University of California Press.

References

1. "In Memory of Dick Vogt" (Press release). Turtle Conservancy. 2021-02-01. from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
2. "Centro de estudo especializado em quelônios de água doce do Inpa completa dois anos de criação [Center studying freshwater chelonians at INPA marks two-year anniversary]" (in Portuguese). INPA. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
3. Vogt, Richard Carl. (1978). Systematics and ecology of the false map turtle complex Graptemys pseudogeographica. OCLC 05786707.
4. Various authors (1978). Carnegie Museum of Natural History: 1978 Annual Report. Pittsburgh: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 56 pp. ("Amphibians and Reptiles", pp. 23-24).
5. Sautner, Stephen (March–April 2000). "A boost for Brazilian river turtles". Wildlife conservation. 103 (2): 17. ISSN 1048-4949.
6. Ferrara, Camila R. (2012). "Turtle vocalizations as the first evidence of posthatching parental care in chelonians" (PDF). Journal of Comparative Psychology. 127 (1): 24–32. doi:10.1037/a0029656. PMID 23088649.
7. Ferrara, Camila R. (10 March 2017). "First Evidence of the Pig-nosed Turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) Vocalizing Underwater". Copeia. 105 (1): 29–32. doi:10.1643/ce-16-407.
8. Vogt, R.C.; Gonzalez-Porter, G.P.; Van Dijk, P.P. (2016) [errata version of 2006 assessment]. "Dermatemys mawii (Central American River Turtle)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2006. Retrieved 2018-07-18.old-form url
9. Drummond, G.M.; Coutinho, M.E.; Vogt, R.C (2016). "Mesoclemmys hogei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T17081A1316719. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T17081A1316719.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
10. Horne, Brian D.; Walde, Andrew (August 2014). "Richard (Dick) C. Vogt receives 9th Annual Behler Conservation Award" (PDF). Turtle Survival: 72–73.
11. López-Luna, Marco A.; Cupul-Magaña, Fabio G.; Escobedo-Galván, Armando H.; González-Hernández, Adriana J.; Centenero-Alcalá, Eric; Rangel-Mendoza, Judith A.; Ramírez-Ramírez, Mariana M.; Cazares-Hernández, Erasmo (June 2018). "A Distinctive New Species of Mud Turtle from Western México". Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 17 (1): 2–13. doi:10.2744/ccb-1292.1.
12. "Casquito de Vallarta: New turtle species discovered in Puerto Vallarta". Puerto Vallarta News. 2018-05-28. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
13. Murphy, Justin (13 July 2018). "Risque photos cause controversy at turtle and fish conference". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
14. Basu, Tanya (19 July 2018). "Turtle Scientist's Award Pulled After Bikini Shot Controversy". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
15. Mervosh, Sarah (2018-07-16). "Turtle Researcher's Award Rescinded After He Uses Racy Photos of Women in Presentation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-18.