Sclater

Sclater is an English surname. The name is most often associated with Philip Lutley Sclater (1829–1913), a British lawyer who became a prominent zoologist and a leading figure in Victorian science. Sclater served as secretary to the Zoological Society of London and helped establish the scientific journal Ibis, a major outlet for ornithology. He conducted extensive studies on the distribution of birds and contributed to the early development of biogeography, arguing that the Earth's fauna could be divided into distinct regions with characteristic assemblages. In this work, he and his contemporaries helped lay the groundwork for the concept of zoogeographic realms and for discussions of faunal boundaries, including lines of division in regions such as the Malay Archipelago that are sometimes referenced in biogeographic literature.

Beyond his scientific contributions, Sclater’s career reflected the interconnected roles of law and science that characterized some Victorian-era scholars. While Philip Lutley Sclater is the best-known bearer of the surname, the name itself is relatively uncommon and appears in genealogical and biographical contexts. In encyclopedic references, Sclater is primarily linked to his work in ornithology, taxonomy, and biogeography, which influenced later developments in the study of animal distribution.