Clarence J. Goodnight

{{Short description|American zoologist}}

Clarence James Goodnight (May 30, 1914 – August 9, 1987) was an American zoologist who made contributions to the study of freshwater annelids and harvestmen (Opiliones). He was professor at Brooklyn College, Purdue University, and Western Michigan University. Goodnight was born in Gillespie, Illinois. He earned an associate degree at Blackburn College, then earned his bachelor's, master's, and PhD at the University of Illinois. He produced over 150 publications, including three textbooks. He served as president of the American Microscopical Society (1971), secretary of the American Society of Zoologists, and secretary of the North American Benthological Society.{{cite journal|last= Brinkhurst|first= R. O.| title=Dr. Clarence James Goodnight A.B., A.M., Ph.D. In Memoriam |journal=Hydrobiologia|date=August 1989|volume=180|issue=1|pages=IX–X|doi=10.1007/bf00027531|bibcode= 1989HyBio.180D...9.|s2cid= 31341083}}{{cite journal|title=In Memoriam: Clarence J. Goodnight (1914-1987)|journal=Transactions of the American Microscopical Society|date=1988|volume=107|issue=1|pages=111|jstor=3226414}} In 1940 he married Marie Louise Ostendorf (1916–1998), with whom he co-authored many publications and described over 300 species,{{cite book|last1=Machado|first1=Glauco|last2=Ricardo|first2=Pinto-da-Rocha|last3=Giribet|first3=Gonzalo|editor1-last=Pinto-da-Rocha|editor1-first=Ricardo|editor2-last=Machado|editor2-first=Glauco|editor3-last=Giribet|editor3-first=Gonzalo|title=Harvestmen: The Biology of Opiliones|date=2006|publisher=Harvard University Press|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=9780674023437|pages=1–13|chapter=What are Harvestmen?}} including more than 120 species of Mexican harvestmen.{{cite book|last1=Kury|first1=Adriano B.|last2=Cokendolpher|first2=James C .|editor1-last=Llórente Bousquets|editor1-first=Jorge|editor2-last=Gonzalez Soriano|editor2-first=Enrique|editor3-last=Papavero|editor3-first=Nelson|title=Biodiversidad, taxonomía y biogeografía de artrópodos de México: hacia una síntesis de su conocimiento. Volumen II|date=2000|publisher=Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Biología|location=Mexico|pages=137–157|chapter-url=http://www.museunacional.ufrj.br/mndi/Aracnologia/aracnopdfs/Kury%20&%20Cokendolpher%202000%20Artropodos%20de%20Mexico.pdf|chapter=Opiliones}}

11 species are named in his honor:

• Cambarincola goodnighti Holt, 1973
• Crosbycus goodnighti Roewer, 1951
• Cryptocellus goodnighti Platnick & Shadab, 1981
• Cynorta goodnighti Beutelspacher, 1988
• Ethobunus goodnighti (Rambla, 1969)
• Geaya goodnighti Roewer, 1953
• Gnomulus goodnighti (Suzuki, 1977)
• Jubus goodnighti O.Park, 1952
• Metagonia goodnighti Gertsch, 1977
• Mexobisium goodnighti Muchmore, 1973
• Phrurolithus goodnighti Muma, 1945