Cynthia Evelyn Longfield was an Anglo-Irish entomologist and explorer and the first woman member of the Entomological Society.
16 Facts About Cynthia Longfield
1.
2.
Cynthia Longfield was an expert on the dragonfly and was nicknamed "Madame Dragonfly".
3.
Cynthia Longfield travelled extensively and published The Dragonflies of the British Isles in 1937.
4.
Cynthia Longfield worked as a research associate at the Natural History Museum, London, and was the expert on the dragonflies there, particularly on African species.
5.
Cynthia Evelyn Longfield was born on 16 August 1896, on Pont Street, Belgravia, London.
6.
Cynthia Longfield was the youngest daughter of Alice Elizabeth and Montifort Longfield, of Castle Mary, Cloyne, County Cork.
7.
Cynthia Longfield visited South America between December 1921 and March 1922.
8.
Cynthia Longfield collected coleoptera and lepidoptera as an assistant to an entomologist, Cyril Collenette.
9.
Cynthia Longfield joined the Entomological Society of London in 1925, and later the same year joined the Royal Geographical Society.
10.
Cynthia Longfield was the first woman member of the Entomological Society.
11.
Cynthia Longfield was elected president of the society for 1932 and 1933.
12.
Cynthia Longfield was a voluntary cataloguer at the Natural History Museum and was put in charge of work on dragonflies.
13.
Cynthia Longfield joined a six-month expedition to Matto Grosso, Brazil in 1927, and returned with samples of 38 of species of dragonfly.
14.
Cynthia Longfield was appointed an honorary associate of the Natural History Museum in 1948.
15.
Cynthia Longfield died aged 96 on 27 June 1991 and was buried in St Coleman's Church of Ireland Cathedral, close to her home in Cloyne.
16.
An exhibition entitled The Cynthia Longfield exhibition was opened in the Royal Irish Academy on Dawson Street in 2006.