McFarland, Anthony Noel   (1938 - 2018)

Born on 31 January 1938 in USA; died on 21 January 2018 in Hereford, Arizona, USA.

Noel was appointed to the position of Entomologist at the Sth Australian Museum in 1965 and was employed there until 1970.

There he built up a strong friendship with the anthropologist and entomologist Norman Tindale, and with a then young school-vacation museum volunteer, Murray Fagg and PhD student from USA, Betsy Shaw.

The Sth Aust Musuem holds a Norman Tindale file titled: 'Journal of visit to South Western Australia by Norman B. Tindale in company with Noel McFarland. October - December 1968'.

He specialised in Lepidoptera life histories, esp. Geometridae, with an interest in their food plants.

After leaving the SA Museum he moved to North Queensland for a couple of years where became friends with John Wrigley from Canberra.

He then moved to WA (1972-1978) living near Geraldton and developed 'Hawatharra Reserve' which he hoped to be protected after he left WA in December 1978 to return to the US where he was living with his wife at Ash Canyon in 1979.

Noel first joined the the international Lepidopterists' Society in 1964, and became a Life Member in 1969. "Noel's lepidopterological footprint was a wide one, from Australia to Oregon and from southern California to southern Arizona".

Source: Extracted from:
The Lepidopterists' Society's post R.I.P. Anthony Noel... - The Lepidopterists' Society | Facebook
https://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/collection/archives/provenances/series/items/aa-338-1-28
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/anthony-mcfarland-obituary?id=13070545
McFarland-Fagg personal letter (Aug 1986)
Portrait Photo: undated tribute photo on: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/anthony-mcfarland-obituary?id=13070545.

Collecting localities for 'McFarland, N.' from AVH (2025)

Data from 144 specimens