 During his lifetime he collected a large number of butterfly and moth specimens, some of which eventually found their way into the possession of the South Australian Museum.Lucas was a member of various learned societies including the Linnean Society, the Royal Society, the Royal College of Surgeons, and the British Medical Association in England; and the Linnean Society of New South Wales, the Royal Society of Queensland, and the Natural History Society of Queensland.Thomas Lucas published a number of books during his lifetime, mostly on non-fiction topics.