Johannes Theodor Reinhardt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1816-12-03)3 December 1816 |
| Died | 23 October 1882(1882-10-23) (aged 65) Frederiksberg, Denmark |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Zoology |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | Reinhardt |
Johannes Theodor Reinhardt (3 December 1816, inCopenhagen – 23 October 1882, inFrederiksberg) was aDanishzoologist andherpetologist. He was the son ofJohannes Christopher Hagemann Reinhardt.
He participated as botanist in the firstGalathea Expedition (1845—1847). In 1848 he became acurator at theKongelige Naturhistoriske Museum in Copenhagen (nowUniversity of Copenhagen Zoological Museum). He taught classes inzoology at theDanmarks Tekniske Universitet (1856–1878) and at theUniversity of Copenhagen (1861–1878). In 1854 he received the title of professor.[1]
During the 1840s and 1850s he periodically worked inBrazil as an assistant topalaeontologistPeter Wilhelm Lund (1801–1880). He was an early supporter ofCharles Darwin’s theory of evolution, and from his research of extinct species, was critical ofGeorge Cuvier's concept of "anti-evolutionary catastrophism".[1]
WithChristian Frederik Lütken (1827–1901), he was co-author ofBidrag til Kundskab om Brasiliens Padder og Krybdyr (Contributions to the knowledge of Brazilianamphibians andreptiles).[2]
He described 25 new species of reptiles, some with Lütken.[3]
In 1848,Hermann Schlegel named theCalabar "python",Calabaria reinhardtii, in his honor.[4][5] Reinhardt's caecilian,Mimosiphonops reinhardti, was named for him in 1992, more than 100 years after he had collected theholotype.[6]
Media related toJohannes Theodor Reinhardt at Wikimedia Commons