Alan Owston (1853–1915) was born on 7 August 1853 at Pirbright, Surrey and was buried on 30 November 1915 at Yokohama in Japan.
Alan Owston left England for Asia in 1871, working as a merchant in Japan and was also busy as an amateur naturalist.
Some other animals named after him include the fish Roughskin dogfish, Centroscymnus owstonii; the Trismegistus owstoni; a clam, a frog, and woodpecker.
He was unusual as an Englishman working in Japan as it opened to western influence and business interests, being buried in the foreigners' cemetery in Yokohama.
Francis Owston was the Vicar at Pirbright, Surrey, England for 40 years, having received his MA degree from Cambridge during 1850 and married Alan's mother Eliza Stedman (daughter of Dr. James Stedman and Sarah Remington) on 16 Apr 1850 in St. Nicolas' Church, Guildford, Surrey, England.