Ostroumov, Alexey Alexandrovich (zoologist)

Alexey Alexandrovich Ostroumov ( 1858 - 1925 ) - Russian zoologist and teacher.

Alexey Alexandrovich Ostroumov
Date of Birth	1858 ( 1858 )
Place of Birth
Date of death	1925 ( 1925 )
A country	Russian empire the USSR
Scientific field	Zoology
Place of work	Kazan University
Alma mater	Kazan University
Academic degree	Doctor of Biological Sciences
Academic rank	Professor
supervisor	N. M. Melnikov

Born on January 29, 1858 in Simbirsk , received his initial education there - from 1874 to 1878 he studied at the Simbirsk Gymnasium ; Then he graduated from Imperial Kazan University (1878-1882), at which he was left as a scholarship holder to prepare for the professorship in zoology. While studying at Kazan University, A. A. Ostroumov early showed interest in zoology and began working in the zoological office under the guidance of Professor N. M. Melnikov .

In 1883, he was seconded to the Novorossiysk University , worked at the Sevastopol Zoological Station ^[1] , in 1884 he passed exams for a master's degree in zoology, in 1885 he went abroad, where he worked at the Neapolitan Zoological Station ; returning to Kazan in 1886, he became a privat-docent in comparative histology , in 1887 he defended his master's thesis “Experience in the study of bryozoans of the Sevastopol Bay in a systematic and morphological relationship” (Kazan, 1886).

At the University of Kazan A. A. Ostroumov lectured on histology and vertebrate zoology, continued research in the field of embryology and hydrobiology. He defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic: "On the history of the development of lizards" ("Proceedings of the General. Naturalists at Kazan University", 1888).

However, the main focus of his activity was ichthyology, and the object was the sterlet ^[2] .

A. A. Ostroumov was the head of the Sevastopol Zoological Station (1891–1897). He participated in the 2nd Black Sea “depth” expedition of 1891, made a number of important studies on the fauna of the Black, Azov, and Sea of ​​Marmara, as well as on the fauna of estuaries and estuaries of the rivers of the Northern Black Sea Region, compiled “Key to Fish of the Black and Azov Seas” (“Industry Herald” , No. 7, 8 and 9, 1896) ^[3] . In August 1897, A. A. Ostroumov left the station in connection with his election as professor of zoology at Kazan University.

Since December 14, 1897, Ostroumov was continuously a member of the Society of Naturalists at Kazan University ^[4] . In 1898, he made a trip to the Caspian with the assistance of the society of natural scientists; he got acquainted with the fauna of the Volga, with the estuarine areas of shallow waters of the Northern Caspian, as well as with the fauna of the mouth of the Kura River.

Being the head of the zoological office, A. A. Ostroumov paid great attention to the zoological museum, formed by the efforts of E. A. Eversman . The merits of Ostroumov include replenishment of the museum's collections with samples of the fauna of Peter the Great Bay . In addition, he contributed to the compilation of the complete card catalog of the museum. For this purpose, he invited S. A. Zernov , who was at that time in administrative exile. Catalogs of collections of butterflies, fish and birds were compiled and published. The article "On the History of the Zoological Cabinet of Kazan University" (1926) was his last publication.

In 1916, near the mouth of Sviyaga, Ostroumov organized a Hydrobiological Station, subsequently transformed into the “Zoological Station of KSU”.

In 1925, the Moscow Society of Naturalists selected him as its honorary member. In addition, A. A. Ostroumov was an honorary member of the Perm Society of Naturalists and an active member of several scientific societies. He was an ardent supporter of female education and under his chairmanship there were meetings of the Society for the establishment of the Higher Women's Physics and Mathematics Courses in Kazan, then he was an assistant director of the courses.