T. V. Ramakrishna Ayyar

Tarakad Vaidyanatha Ramakrishna Ayyar (20 July 1880 – 13 February 1952) was a pioneer Indian entomologist who worked in the agricultural department in British India.

He received a degree in zoology from the Madras Christian College in 1898 and was awarded a Buckie studentship to continue postgraduate studies.

In 1915-1916 he gave a talk on agricultural entomology at the Madras Exhibition of Arts and Industries of South India.

The idea of pursuing a Ph.D. from Stanford University came from K. Kunhikannan, his entomologist colleague in Mysore.

[1][2] On his way back from the US, he visited entomological institutions in Europe and the British Museum, where he examined Indian thrips specimens with Frederick Laing, He rejoined government service on 1 October 1927.

These include such names as Thilakothrips (thilak being an adornment on the forehead), Veerabahuthrips (for a long-armed thrips species), Arrhenothrips dhumrapaksha (=cloud winged), Mesothrips bhimabahu (a reference to Bhima and strong fore femora), and Ramakrishnaiella nirmalapaksha (nirmala -> clear winged).

In 1941, on the invitation from the Nizam, he helped the State of Hyderabad establish an entomology research station at Himayatnagar.

[4] In 1940 he published the Handbook of Economic Entomology for South India running to 528 pages and expanded on the earlier 1914 work of T.B.

Subramaniam became an entomologist and served as a registrar at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.