T. T. Macan

Thomas Townley Macan (12 September 1910 – 12 January 1985; known to many as "Kit", "Kitten" or "T.T.M.") was a British freshwater zoologist (limnologist), field studies director and author. He had a particular interest in freshwater invertebrates.

He was brought up in southwest England, and educated at Wellington College, Berkshire and Christ's College, Cambridge. Although best known for his work in freshwater biology, his first job (1933–34) was on a scientific expedition to the Indian Ocean. The resulting volume on starfish (Asteroidea) became part of his PhD thesis. He was awarded his doctorate in 1940.

In 1935, he joined the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA). He worked there until his retirement in 1976, broken only by military service during World War II. In 1941, he was commissioned as Lieutenant into the Royal Army Medical Corps,; he subsequently rose to the rank of Major; he addressed problems relating to malaria in Iraq, Iran, India and Burma. In 1946, he returned to the FBA as Deputy Director.

His earliest work at the FBA was concerned with Corixidae (water boatmen) and gastropods. He then concentrated on a detailed taxonomic study of the British Ephemeroptera (mayflies), culminating in the publication in 1961 of the first complete guide to their nymphs (most recent edition 1979). During this work, he accumulated much information on the ecology of the various species, especially their habitats and life cycles. His principal locations of study were in Ford Wood Beck, a small stony stream near his home in Outgate near Hawkshead, Cumbria; and in Hodson's Tarn, a moorland lake close to the Windermere Laboratory of the FBA. After his retirement, he continued his studies in the River Lune, which runs through Cumbria and Lancashire. He was a prolific author of scientific papers and books; his Life in Lakes and Rivers (co-authored with E. B. Worthington) was at one time a set text in the Open University.

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