Jean-Baptiste Robineau-Desvoidy

André Jean Baptiste Robineau-Desvoidy (1 January 1799, Saint-Sauveur - 25 June 1857, Paris) was a French physician and entomologist specialising in the study of Diptera and to some extent of the Coleoptera.

Achievements

Because he worked on difficult to identify flies especially the Cyclorrhapha – Calyptratae , the existing descriptions of which were poor, and because he had few contacts many of the new species he described were already named. Also he was over reliant on colour and pattern as characters and this led to his improperly defining species. He also worked on too many species. Much later criticism ensued but it must be remembered that he was an early worker and, in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars French scientists were unduly criticised for nationalistic reasons. Very many of his generic and species names survive (especially in Cyclorrhapha his "myopaires"). In all these respects, as well as his genuine love of entomology and boundless enthusiasm Robineau-Desvoidy is reminiscent of the English entomologist Francis Walker.

Flies named by Robineau-Desvoidy

*"Brachyopa scutellaris" 1843 - Syrphidae
*"Calliphora vicina" 1830 - Calliphoridae
*"Thecopohora fulvipes" 1830 - Conopidae

*Genus "Morellia" and species "Morellia aenescens" 1830- Muscidae
*Genus "Azelia" and species "Azelia nebulosa" Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830
*Genus "Hydromyia" 1830 Sciomyzidae
*Genus "Herina" 1830- Ulidiidae
*Genus "Sphenella" 1830- Tephritidae
*Genus "Delia" 1830-Anthomyidae
*Genus "Bengalia" - Calliphoridae

Works

(Selected)
*Essai sur la tribu des culicides. "Mém. Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris" 3: 390-413 (1827).
*Essai sur les myodaires. "Mém. Pres. Div. Sav. Acad. R. Sci. Inst. Fr." 2(2), 813 p. (1830).
*Notice sur le genre fucellie, Fucellia, R.D., et en particulier sur le Fucellia arenaria. "Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr." 10: 269-72. (1842).
*Myodaires des environs de Paris [part] . "Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr". (2) 6: 429-77. (1849).This paper forms part of a series, though the first part had the title "Études sur les myodaires des environs de Paris." The parts are as follows: Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. (2) 2: 5-38 (1844); (2) 4: 17-38 (1846); (2) 5: 255-87 (1847); (2) 6: 429-77 (1849); (2) 8: 183-209 (1850); (2) 9: 177-90, 305-21 (1851).
*Mémoire of M. Léon Dufour donne la description de la larve et des moeurs d'une muscide, larve qui vit du sang de petites hirondelles. "Bull. Soc. Entomol. Fr." (2) 7: iv-v. (1849)
*Description d'agromyzes et de phytomyzes écloses chez M. le colonel Goureau. "Rev. Mag. Zool." (2) 3: 391-405. (1851)
*Diptères des environs de Paris. Famille des myopaires. "Bull. Soc. Sci. Hist. Nat. L'Yonne" 7: 83-160. (1853).
*"Histoire naturelle des diptères des environs de Paris. Oeuvre posthume du Dr Robineau-Desvoidy. Publiée par les soins de sa famille, sous la direction de M.H. Monceaux".2 vols. Masson et Fils, Paris. 1500p. (1863)

Collection

The collection of Robineau-Desvoidy was largely destroyed. Some remains in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris and there are some specimens from the in the Hope Department of Entomology of the University Museum, Oxford

External links

* [http://sciencesrevolution.univ-paris1.fr/prosopographie/auditeurslamarck/presentation.php?lang=fr Followers of Lamark] French website with a list of publications and photographs of Robineau-Desvoidy's signature.