George Albert Boulenger

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George Boulenger

George Albert Boulenger (born October 19, 1858 in Brussels , Belgium , † November 23, 1937 in Saint-Malo , France ) was a Belgian-British zoologist ( herpetologist , ichthyologist ).

Live and act

Boulenger was the only son of the Belgian notary, Gustave Boulenger and Juliette Piérart de Valenciennes. In 1876 he completed his studies in natural sciences at the Free University in Brussels and worked for a time as a research assistant at the Natural History Museum in Brussels. During this time he studied amphibians , reptiles and fish . He also maintained close contacts with the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris and the British Museum in London .

In 1880 he was asked by Albert Günther to work at the Natural History Museum in London and to catalog the amphibious collection there. Through this employment, Boulenger became a British citizen. In 1882 he became a research assistant in the zoological department of the museum and held this position until his retirement in 1920.

As a herpetologist, he described 573 new species and thus takes the top position among all herpetologists.

After his retirement, Boulenger became interested in roses and published 34 works on botanical subjects and a two-volume work on the roses of Europe .

Boulenger played the violin , spoke German , French and English and could read texts in Spanish , Italian and Russian . As a zoologist, he also had knowledge of Latin and Greek .

His way of working is considered very methodical, and Boulenger is also said to have an excellent memory.

By 1921 Boulenger had 877 publications with a total of over 5000 pages as well as 19 monographs on fish, amphibians and reptiles. He provided the scientific description of 1096 fish species, 556 amphibian species and 872 reptile species. Although only around 580 species of the latter are still recognized today, he is by far the most productive reptile discoverer worldwide.

Boulengers son Edward George Boulenger (1888-1946) was also a well-known herpetologist and director of the London Zoo Aquarium from 1924 to 1943.

Honors

Since 1916 he was a corresponding member of the Académie des sciences . In 1923 Boulenger was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . In 1935 he became the first honorary member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists . In 1937 he received the Leopold Order , the highest honor a civilian in Belgium can receive .

Various animal genera were named after him, including the snake genus Boulengerina , to which the Congo water cobra ( Boulengerina christyi ) belongs, and the amphibian genus Boulengerula from the sneak group with the species Boulengerula boulengeri . In addition, at least 24 reptile species were named after Boulenger.

Publications (selection)

  • 1894 Catalog of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History) . Volume II. British Museum of Natural History London
  • 1895 Catalog of the Perciform Fishes in the British Museum. Centrachidae, Percidae and Serranideae . British Museum of Natural History London
  • 1896 Catalog of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History) . Volume III. British Museum of Natural History London
  • 1897 The Tailless Batrachians of Europe . Parts I & II. The Ray Society London
  • 1903 Batraciens de la Guinee Espagnoles . Madrid
  • 1905 A contribution to our knowledge of the varieties of the wall-lizard (Lacerta muralis) in Western Europe and North Africa . Transactions of the Zoological Society of London London
  • 1910 Les batraciens et principalement ceux d'Europe . Octave Doin et Fils Paris
  • 1912 A vertebrate fauna of the Malay Peninsula from the Isthmus of Kra to Singapore, including the adjacent islands. Reptilia and Batrachia . Taylor and Francis, London
  • 1913 Snakes of Europe . Methuen London
  • 1913 Second contribution to our knowledge of the varieties of the wall-lizard (Lacerta muralis) . Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. London 135-230 IIXX
  • 1916 On the lizards allied to Lacerta muralis, with an account of Lacerta agilis and L. parva . Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. London 104 VIII
  • 1917 A revision of the lizards of the genus Tachydromus . Memoirs of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 207-234 II
  • 1917 A revision of the lizards of the genus Nucras Gray . Annals of the South African Museum 195–216 II
  • 1891 Catalog of the Reptiles and Batrachians of Barbary (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia): based chiefly upon the notes and collections made in 1880–1884 by M. Fernand Lataste . Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. London
  • 1920 Monograph of the Lacertidae , volume 1. British Museum of Natural History London
  • 1921 Monograph of the Lacertidae , volume 2 British Museum of Natural History London
  • 1921 List of publications Ichthyologiques et Herpétologiques (1877–1920) . Annales de la Societé royale Zoologique de Belgique. 11-88
  • 1921 Monograph of the Lacertidae , volume 1 Johnson Reprint (1966) New York / London
  • 1921 Monograph of the Lacertidae , volume 2 Johnson Reprint (1966) New York / London
  • Boulenger et al. 1923 A survey of the fauna of Iraq. Mammals, birds, reptiles, etc. made by members of the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force "D" 1915-1919. Bombay Natural History Society Iraq & London
  • Boulenger et al. 1923 Étude sur les batraciens et les reptiles rapportés par M. Henri Gadeau de Kerville de son voyages zoologique es Syrie (avril – juin 1908) . - Voyage zoologique d'Henri Gadeau de Kerville en Syrie (avril – juin 1908). Ballière & Sons Paris
  • George Albert Boulenger on the Internet Archive

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Peter Uetz: The original descriptions of reptiles, Zootaxa, No. 2335, 2010, 59-68, pdf
  2. ↑ Uetz, P. (2010) The original descriptions of reptiles . Zootaxa 2334: 59-68
  3. ↑ Directory of members since 1666: letter B. Académie des sciences, accessed on September 25, 2019 (French).
  4. ^ Reptile species named after Boulenger in the Reptile Database

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Boulenger, George Albert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Boulenger, George A.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British zoologist, herpetologist and ichthyologist
DATE OF BIRTH October 19, 1858
PLACE OF BIRTH Brussels , Belgium
DATE OF DEATH November 23, 1937
Place of death Saint Malo , France