Melchior Neumayr

Born Oct. 24, 1845, in Munich; died Jan. 29, 1890, in Vienna. Austrian paleontologist and geologist. Named professor at the University of Vienna in 1873.

While studying gastropod and lamellibranchiate mollusks in Neocene closed basins, Neumayr came to the conclusion that the mollusks inhabiting these lakes changed gradually as a result of prolonged desalination of the water. He was also the author of studies on cephalopods and the paleogeography of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Neumayr took a darwinist approach in his paleontological and geological research.