Otto Staudinger
Otto Staudinger (2 May 1830 – 13 October 1900) was a German
Life
Staudinger was born in Groß Wüstenfelde, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, from a Bavarian family on his father's side. His grandfather was born near Ansbach and came to Holstein at the end of the 18th century where Staudinger's father was born in Groß Flottbeck in 1799. His mother, a born Schroeder, was from Mecklenburg, born in Putzar at the Count of Schwerin's estate in 1794. At the time of Otto Staudinger's birth in 1830 his father was the tenant of the Rittergut Groß Wüstenfelde. At the age of six or seven Otto was introduced into entomology by his private tutor Wagner who collected beetles. In the summer of 1843 his father purchased the Rittergut Lübsee near Güstrow where Otto – now under the instruction of tutor Hermann – began to collect Lepidoptera. From October 1845 he attended the Gymnasium (grammar school) in Parchim and in summer 1849 received his Abitur (diploma qualifying for university admission).
In October 1849 Staudinger took up the study of medicine at the
In autumn 1851 Staudinger seems to have fallen ill (though the biographical sources are silent about the nature of his ailment) and after a prolonged illness he was advised to go on a recovery trip. Accordingly, Staudinger spent May to August 1852 at
From April to October 1854 Staudinger collected in
Further important collecting trips
- 1860 Norway, Finnmarken (with M. F. Wocke).
- 1862 Castilia, La Granja, San Ildefonso.
- 1866 Southern France, Ardèche.
- 1872 Cilikian Taurus (with E. Funke).
- 1875 Turkey, Amasia (with E. Funke and F. Zach).
- 1880 Southern Spain, Chiclana and Granada (with wife, mother-in-law, and the Korb family).
- 1884 Castilia, San Ildefonso with a detour to Lisbon (with A. Bang-Haas and son Paul).
- 1887 Algeria, Biskra and Lambèse, Djebel Aures.
- Several shorter trips to the Alps.
Achievements and impact
One of Staudinger's most valuable and durable achievements was the publication of three catalogues of the Lepidoptera of Europe and eventually of the entire
Staudinger also played a key role as an initiator of entomological and biological exploration in many parts of the globe. He not only bought collections from the eastern Palaearctic and many tropical areas but he often sent collectors and naturalists to specific areas of interest:
- Ussuri regions (Vladivostok, Suifun, Sutschan, Isle of Askold: F. Dörries and brothers, 1877–1898, Jablonovoi-Mountains ["Apfelgebirge"], 1896),
- NE Siberia (Vitim: O. Herz, 1888),
- Zaysan: J. Haberhauer, 1877),
- Altai (near Ongadai, Bashkam, Tshuja valley: Henry John Elwes and Borezowsky, 1898),
- Mongolia (Uliastai: a cossack collecting for H. Leder, 1893; Kentei mountains: F. Dörries, 1889, 1893; around Urga: J. Haberhauer, 1895; Changai: H. Leder, 1899),
- Tibet (between Lop Nur and Qinghai Lake, E. Rückbeil for R. Tancré, 1893-1893),
- Chinese Turkestan (near Korla: J. Haberhauer, 1897),
- eastern Tien Shan (Chamyl and elsewhere: J. Haberhauer, 1896),
- Tien Shan (between Kuldja: E. Rückbeil, 1895?),
- Asia minor (Mardin, Gaziantep, Merzifon, Malatya, Hadjin, Kayseri, Tokat, Antakya, Marasch and elsewhere: J. Manisadjian, 1875–1897),
- Taurus (near Zeitun: Haradjian, 1897),
- Syria (F. Zach),
- Palestine (Bacher, 1896–1899; J. Paulus, 1890–1898),
- Sierra Leone and Cameroon (Dr. Preuss, 1866),
- Indo-Australian archipelago (Waigeu, Moluccas [Ambon, Batjan, Ceram, Halmahera], Celebes [Minahassa], Sangir, Philippines [Jolo, East Mindanao, Mindoro], Timor, Palawan, Sarawak: Dr. K. K. Platen, 1880–1895),
- Ceylon, Penang, Borneo (Brunei, Labuan, Kinabalu) (J. Waterstradt, 1888–1904),
- Panama and Chiriqui (H. Ribbe, 1878),
- Amazon (Dr. Hahnel, 1879–1884, 1885–1887, later also O. Michael and the Garleppbrothers, these also in Peru und Bolivia),
- Peru (Chanchamayo: F. Thamm, around 1870-1873).
In this way Staudinger succeeded in publishing whole faunal lists of districts some of which had been entomological terra incognita before. Examples are the Lepidopteren-Fauna Kleinasiens (1881), Die Macrolepidopteren des Amurgebietes (1892) and the Lepidopteren des Kentei-Gebirges (1892).
The taxonomic work on these collections was Staudinger's life work. He described hundreds if not thousands of taxa, mainly from the families of the so-called Macrolepidoptera. All scientifically important specimens, especially the types – which Staudinger labelled "Origin." (for "original specimen") – remained in his private collection. A bibliography of Staudinger's entomological works lists 137 publications (Anonymus 1901). Numerous taxa have been named for Staudinger.
After Staudinger's death the firm "Staudinger & Bang-Haas" was led by Andreas Bang-Haas. In 1913 his son Otto Bang-Haas (1882–1948) became the sole owner and continued to run the firm until his death. After that it was dissolved on 30 September 1948.
Collection
Staudinger's private collection (with the types of the taxa described by him) went to the
The business collection of palaearctic Lepidoptera went to
Selected works
- Staudinger, O. 1859. Diagnosen nebst kurze Beschreibungen neuer Andalusischer Lepidopteren. - Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung 20:211–259.
- Staudinger, O. & Wocke, M. F. (1861): Catalog der Lepidopteren Europa's und der angrenzenden Länder. – Dresden (Staudinger & Burdach). XVI + 192 pp.
- Staudinger, O. & Wocke, M. F. (1871): Catalog der Lepidopteren des Europaeischen Faunengebiets. – Dresden (Burdach). XXXVII + 426 pp.
- Staudinger, O. (1871): Beitrag zur Lepidopteren-Fauna Griechenlands. – Horae societatis entomologicae rossicae, 7: 3-304, 3 pls.
- Staudinger, O. (1881): Lepidopteren-Fauna Kleinasiens. – Horae societatis entomologicae rossicae, 16: 65-135.
- Staudinger, O. & Schatz, E. (Eds.) (1884–1892): Exotische Schmetterlinge. Two volumes. – Fürth (Löwensohn). 333 pp., 100 pls., II + 284 pp., 50 pls.
- Staudinger, O. (1886–1889): Centralasiatische Lepidopteren. – Entomologische Zeitung Stettin, 47 (1886): 193-215, 225-256; 48 (1887): 1-65, 49-102; 49 (1888): 1-65, 50 (1889): 16-60.
- Staudinger, O. (1892): Die Macrolepidopteren des Amurgebietes. I. Theil. – Mémoires sur les Lépidoptères, 6: 83-658, pls. 4-14.
- Staudinger, O. (1892): Lepidopteren des Kentei-Gebirges. – Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift "Iris", 5: 300-393, pl. 3.
- Staudinger, O. (1894): Hochandine Lepidopteren. – Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift "Iris", 7: 43-100, 2 pls.
- Staudinger, O. (1898): Lepidopteren des Apfelgebirges. – Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift "Iris", 10: 320-344.
- Staudinger, O. & Rebel, H. (1901): Catalog der Lepidopteren des palaearctischen Faunengebietes. I. Theil: Famil. Papilionidae – Hepialidae. – Berlin (Friedländer & Sohn). XXXII + 411 pp., 1 pl.
- Catalog der Lepidopteren des europæischen Faunengebiets.I. Macrolepidoptera bearb. von Dr. O. Staudinger. II. Microlepidoptera bearb. von Dr. M. Wocke.Published 1871 by Dr. O. Staudinger [etc.] in Dresden .Written in German. online
Wikispecies (see below) provides another list and links to digitised papers by Staudinger
Scale of the dealership
This advertisement placed in the 1924 issue of Entomological News (Philadelphia, U.S.A.) gives an indication of the scale of the dealership still known as O. Staudinger & A. Bang-Haas, Dresden at that time under Otto Bang-Haas. "THE LARGEST STOCK OF INSECTS OF THE WORLD! ESTABLISHED 1858 INDISPENSABLE TO EVERY COLLECTOR, TO EVERY MUSEUM! Lepidoptera List No. 58 contains 28,000 species, the greatest and most extensive of all lists. Price $1.00. Coleoptera List No. 30 contains 30,000 species of Coleoptera, Price 50 cents. Other Insects list No. VII contains 10.000 species. Price 50 cents. This amount will be reimbursed by orders on insects. List No. XI contains series of Lepidoptera, collections, books, apparatus, insect pins, supplies. Free. Dr. O. Staudinger & A. Bang-Haas, Blasewitz, Dresden, Germany WILL BUY OR EXCHANGE Clerids, Phanaeus, Monilema and all Cetonids from all parts of the world."
References
- Anonymous ["S."] (1901): Dr. Otto Staudinger †. – Deutsche entomologische Zeitschrift "Iris", 13: 341-358.
- Anonymous (1894): Der Nestor der deutschen Entomologen, Dr. Otto Staudinger. – Entomologische Jahrbücher, 3: 265-268.
- Draeseke, J. (1962): Die Firma Dr. O. Staudinger & A. Bang-Haas. – Entomologische Nachrichten, 6: 49-53.
- Seebold, T. L. F. (1901–1902): Notice nécrologique sur le Dr. Otto Staudinger. – Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 70: 6-7.