John William Douglas

John William Douglas (born November 15, 1814 in Putney , London , † July 28, 1905 in Garlesden ) was a British entomologist and expert on small butterflies .

Life

Douglas, whose father was from Edinburgh, was so badly injured by a prank by his classmates (the fireworks in his pants were set on) that he was bed-bound for two years. During this time he began to study botany, especially botanical drawing, and became so good at it that he was employed at the Botanical Gardens in Kew . There he began to collect insects. In this, too, he trained as an expert and was called in by the entomologist Henry Tibbats Stainton (1822-1892) to the international compilation on the Tineina (a subgroup of the Ditrysia .) His main occupation was customs until his retirement in 1884 (Customs House), where he worked at service and was given £ 100 on one occasion from Prime Minister Gladstone in gratitude for a tour of European wineries to inspect. His main work is a monograph on Schnabelkerfe (Hemiptera), together with John Scott . He also wrote a popular science book on insects that was successful at the time.

He was President of the Royal Entomological Society in 1860/61 (and member since 1845) and editor of The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine . His collection is in the Natural History Museum . He bequeathed his library to the Royal Entomological Society.

Fonts

with John Scott: The British Hemiptera, Volume 1: Hemiptera-Heteroptera, Ray Society 1865 (the subsequent volumes never appeared), Archives
with Henry Tibbats Stainton, Philipp Christoph Zeller , Heinrich Frey : The Natural History of the Tineina, 13 volumes, 1855 to 1873 (English, French, German and Latin editions appeared)
The World of Insects, London 1856

literature

Michael A. Salmon: The Aurelian Legacy: British Butterflies and Their Collectors, University of California Press 2000, p. 156f

References and comments

↑ In contrast to the Cossina (dorsally located heart), the Tineina have their hearts a little more towards the abdomen (ventral), which is why they are considered more primitive. They include the Tineoidea .

personal data
SURNAME	Douglas, John William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British entomologist
DATE OF BIRTH	November 15, 1814
PLACE OF BIRTH	Putney , London
DATE OF DEATH	July 28, 1905
Place of death	Garlesden

[1] In contrast to the Cossina (dorsally located heart), the Tineina have their hearts a little more towards the abdomen (ventral), which is why they are considered more primitive. They include the Tineoidea .