Christian Friedrich Freyer
Christian Friedrich Freyer (born August 25, 1794 in Wassertrüdingen ; † November 11, 1885 in Augsburg ) is one of the renowned entomologists of the 19th century.
Life
Ch. F. Freyer was already interested in butterflies as a child. In 1820 he moved from Wassertrüdingen to Augsburg, where he received a position as "magistrate actuary". In Augsburg he collected as a contemporary reported with restless zeal and untiring diligence in his spare time the many different kinds of living with us butterflies ... . After eight years in Augsburg, Freyer began to publish his lepidopterological publications. As Conservator for Entomology , Freyer also looked after the Entomological Collection of the Natural History Association in Augsburg, which was founded in 1846 .
The meaning of Ch. F. Freyers
Freyer described 245 butterfly species, 193 moths and 52 butterflies for the first time in Newer Contributions to Butterfly Studies alone . Freyer already emphasizes in the foreword that he wants to describe and depict "mainly rare and previously largely unknown species, especially those for which no suitable image material is available", if possible with all three stages of development (caterpillar, pupa and imago) and with the respective caterpillar host plant. Freyer's illustrations, colored copper engravings, differ significantly from earlier illustrations, especially from those of Jacob Huebner . Freyer emphasizes the essential characteristics of the species in order to provide "beginners and amateurs" with an identification aid. The text is largely limited to new things.
Freyer's importance as a field entomologist is evident in his work Die Falter um Augsburg . Here he brings together 1091 species.
Freyer has also built up an international network between well-known European entomologists and incorporated these “celebrities at home and abroad” into his work. His publications can therefore be seen as the forerunners of a specialist lepidopteran journal.
A. Olivier sums up Freyer's importance as an entomologist in 2000: “... Freyer was almost without exception recognized as one of the greatest personalities in lepidopterology of his time, and his work is cited in almost every important publication of that epoch, and this is still true today . "
His estate is in the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt.
Publications (selection)
- 1828–1830: Contributions to the history of European butterflies with images from nature .
- 1833–1858: Newer contributions to butterfly studies with images from nature .
- 1839: The most harmful butterflies in Germany for foresters, teachers, economists, garden owners and elementary schools .
- The moths of the Merian. Systematically determined and explained and annotated .
- 1858: The butterflies in the vicinity of the royal pleasure palace Hohenschwangau .
- 1860: The butterflies around Augsburg .
literature
- Emil Wulzinger: Nekrolog. Christian Friedrich Freyer . In: Report of the Natural Science Association for Swabia and Neuburg 29, 1887, pp. XLIII – XLVI.
- A. Olivier: Christian Friedrich Freyer's “Newer Contributions to Butterfly Studies with Images from Nature”. An analysis, with new data on its publication dates . In: Contributions to Entomology 50, 2000, pp. 407-486. doi: 10.21248 / contrib.entomol.50.2.407-486
- Eberhard Pfeuffer: On the butterfly collection of Christian Friedrich Freyer (1794–1885) in the Jura Museum Eichstätt . In: Archaeopterix 18, 2000, pp. 67-73.
- Eberhard Pfeuffer (Ed.): Fascinated by nature ... Early Augsburg naturalists and their pictures (Jacob Hübner, Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelm, Christian Friedrich Freyer, Johann Friedrich Leu, Jakob Friedrich Caflisch, Andreas Wiedemann) . Wißner-Verlag, Augsburg 2003, ISBN 978-3-89639-392-0 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Freyer, Christian Friedrich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German lepidopterologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 25, 1794 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wassertrüdingen |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 11, 1885 |
| Place of death | augsburg |