Priscilla Hollister Starrett

Priscilla Latham Hollister Starrett (November 13, 1929 – October 8, 1997) was an American herpetologist who researched anuran (frog) morphology, systematics and behavior.

She enrolled in the Ph.D. program at the University of Michigan in 1954 and, after time devoted to field work in Central America, was finally awarded the degree in 1969 with her dissertation titled "The phylogenetic significance of the jaw musculature in anuran amphibians.

[2][3] Starrett studied Central American frogs extensively, spending significant time in the field in Costa Rica in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

[1] According to Emerson, who described Starrett's research,[1] in the area of morphology, "her dissertation work was an important impetus leading to aspects of jaw musculature becoming standard characters in anuran systematic studies," In the area of tadpole development, "she studied muscle homologies, and proposed four basic tadpole types suggesting that larval characters could be important in studying the relationships among major groups on anurans.... She further suggested that the variation that she found in the jaw muscles and other internal morphology among tadpole types could be related to their feeding ecology.

In addition to her research, Starrett held faculty positions at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles from 1969 until she retired in 1992.