Johann Christian Fabricius | |
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| Born | (1745-01-07)7 January 1745 |
| Died | 3 March 1808(1808-03-03) (aged 63) |
| Citizenship | Danish |
| Education | University of Copenhagen,University of Uppsala |
| Known for | Classification of the insects |
| Scientific career | |
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| Author abbrev. (botany) | J.Fabr. |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | Fabricius |
Johann Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danishzoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included allarthropods:insects,arachnids,crustaceans and others. He was a student ofCarl Linnaeus, and is considered[1] one of the most important entomologists of the 18th century, having named nearly 10,000 species of animals, and established the basis for the modern insectclassification.
Johann Christian Fabricius was born on 7 January 1745 atTønder in theDuchy of Schleswig, where his father was a doctor.[2][3] He studied at thegymnasium atAltona and entered theUniversity of Copenhagen in 1762.[4] Later the same year he travelled together with his friend and relativeJohan Zoëga toUppsala, where he studied underCarl Linnaeus for two years.[4] On his return, he started work on hisSystema entomologiae, which was finally published in 1775.[4] Throughout this time, he remained dependent on subsidies from his father, who worked as a consultant atFrederiks Hospital.[4]
Fabricius was appointed a professor in Copenhagen in 1770, and in 1775 or 1776, theUniversity of Kiel appointed Fabricius professor of natural history and economics, promising that they would build anatural history museum and abotanical garden.[3] Although he tried to resign three times, on one occasion only being prevented by an appeal from his students to theDanish King andDuke of Schleswig,Christian VII,[3] Fabricius held the position at Kiel for the rest of his life.[2]
During his time in Kiel, Fabricius repeatedly travelled to London in the summer to study the collections of British collectors, such asJoseph Banks andDru Drury.[5] Towards the end of his career, Fabricius spent much of his time living inParis, where he frequently met with naturalists such asGeorges Cuvier andPierre André Latreille;[3] he was also interested in the events of theFrench Revolution. On hearing of theBritish attack on Copenhagen in 1807, Fabricius returned to Kiel, damaging his already fragile health. He died on 3 March 1808, at the age of 63.[3] His daughter died in an accident in Paris, but he was survived by two sons, who both studiedmedicine.[2]
The evolutionary ideas of Fabricius are not well known. He believed that man originated from thegreat apes and that newspecies could be formed by thehybridization of existing species.[6] He also has been called the "Father ofLamarckism" because of his belief that new species could form from morphological adaptation.[6][7] Fabricius wrote about the influence of environment on development of species andselection phenomena (females preferring the strongest males).[6][8]
Fabricius is considered one of the greatestentomologists of the 18th century.[3] He was a greater observer of insects than his morebotanically-minded mentor,Carl Linnaeus. Fabricius named 9,776 species of insects, compared to Linnaeus' tally of around 3,000.[8] He identified many species ofTenebrionidae from the Egyptian Sinai on the basis of other entomologists' collections.[9]
Fabricius added two distinct areas to the classification system. He considers both artificial and natural characteristics. Artificial characteristics allow for the determination of a species, and natural ones allow for the relationship to other genera and varieties.[8]
In contrast to Linnaeus' classification of the insects, which was based primarily on the number ofwings, and their form, Fabricius used the form of themouthparts to discriminate the orders (which he termed "classes").[8] He stated "those whose nourishment and biology are the same, must then belong to the same genus."[10] Fabricius' system remains the basis of insect classification today, although the names he proposed are not. For instance, his name for the order containing thebeetles was "Eleutherata", rather than the modern "Coleoptera", and he used "Piezata" forHymenoptera; his termGlossata is still in use, but for a slightly smaller group among theLepidoptera, rather than the whole order. Fabricius also foresaw that the malegenitalia would provide useful characters forsystematics, but could not apply that insight himself.[10]
Fabricius was the first to divide theStaphylinidae (rove beetles), which Linnaeus had considered a single genus that he called "Staphylinus", establishing in 1775 the genusPaederus. He also described 77 species of Staphylinidae.[11]
His major works on systematic entomology were:[8]
Many of his works can be found in digital libraries:
Fabricius' collections are shared between theNatural History Museum, London, theMuséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris, theHope Department of Entomology, Oxford, theHunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow, theZoological Museum in Kiel, and theStatens Naturhistoriske Museum,Copenhagen.[3]
Fabricius also wrote a few works oneconomics, although these are much less important than his zoological works. They includeBegyndelsesgrundene i de økonomiske Videnskaber (1773),Polizeischriften (1786–1790) andVon der Volksvermehrung, insonderheit in Dänemark (1781).[4]
Media related toJohann Christian Fabricius at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toJohan Christian Fabricius at Wikispecies
