Frank M. Carpenter

Frank Morton Carpenter (September 6, 1902 – January 18, 1994) was an American entomologist and paleontologist. He studied insects from long ago to help scientists learn about their lives and changes over time. Carpenter earned his PhD from Harvard University and worked for sixty years at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, studying fossil insects.

He did important work on Permian fossil insects found in Elmo, Kansas. He compared these fossils with ones found around the world. By looking closely at insect wings and mouthparts, he helped sort the many kinds of ancient insects into nine main groups. His big book, the Treatise volume on Insects, became a key reference for scientists.

Other scientists, like David Grimaldi and Michael S. Engel, said he was very important in the study of ancient insects. Many insects were named after him, such as the hanging fly Bittacus carpenteri and the fossil parasitic wasp Carpenteriana tumida. In 1938, he was elected a fellow of the Entomological Society of America for his work. He also taught students at the Harvard Extension School.