Adolpho Ducke (October 19, 1876 – January 5, 1959), (also referred to as Adolfo Ducke and occasionally misspelled "Duque"), was a notable

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

, botanist and ethnographer specializing in Amazonia. According to family records, he was an ethnic German with roots in Trieste Austro-Hungary (now in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

). German was his first language; that is, the German commonly spoken in Trieste in the 19th century. Most of his books were written in German. Recruited by

Emílio Goeldi Emílio is a variant of the given names Emil, Emilio and Emilios, and may refer to: *Emílio Garrastazu Médici, Brazilian politician *Emílio Peixe, Brazilian footballer *Emílio Lino, Portuguese fencer *Emílio da Silva, footballer *Emílio Aug ...

, Ducke began his work in Amazônia as an

for the

Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi The Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG) is a Brazilian research institution and museum located in the city of Belém, state of Pará, Brazil. It was founded in 1866 by Domingos Soares Ferreira Penna as the Pará Museum of Natural History and E ...

, but due to the influence of botanists Jacques Hüber and

Paul Le Cointe Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

, he switched to botany. He traveled throughout Amazônia to study the complicated

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

system of the rainforest. He published 180 articles and monographs, primarily on the

Leguminosae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

, and he described 900 species and 50 new genera. In 1918, while continuing his work for the Paraense Museum, he collaborated with the

Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden or Jardim Botânico is located at the Jardim Botânico district in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The Botanical Garden shows the diversity of Brazilian and foreign flora. There are around 6,500 species (so ...

and the Instituto Agronômico do Norte. In the first half of the 20th century, he became one of the most respected authorities on the Amazonian

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

. In 1954, his concerns about the future of the Amazonian forest led him to make a suggestion to the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) for the creation of a nature reserve. He died in

Fortaleza Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the ...

in 1959 before witnessing the fulfillment of his dream: In 1963, the

Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke Adolfo Ducke Forest Reserve (Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke) is a protected section of the Amazon rainforest within the city of Manaus, Brazil. The reserve was established in 1963 in honour of the entomologist and botanist Adolfo Ducke (Octobe ...

was established and named in his honour. Also named in his honour is a botanical garden east of Manaus, and the phytochemical research laboratory at the museum in Belém. Ducke's entomological material is currently located at the

in Belém, the Natural History Museum of Bern, the Museu de Zoologia of the

University of São Paulo The University of São Paulo ( pt, Universidade de São Paulo, USP) is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian public university and the country's most prestigious educational institution, the best ...

, and The Natural History Museum, in London. Ducke's general classification of the Neotropical social wasps is still used. Additionally, Ducke is known for his findings on the species '' Melipona subnitida'', a species which he discovered and did significant field research on.

Honours

Adolpho Ducke has been honoured in the naming of several

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial ...

of plants including; '' Duckea'' (in 1958 ), ''

Duckeanthus ''Duckeanthus'' is a genus of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Brazil. It contains a single species, ''Duckeanthus grandiflorus''. Robert Elias Fries, the Swedish botanist who first formally described it, named it in honor of Ado ...

'' (in 1934 ), '' Duckeella'' (in 1939 ), ''

Duckeodendron ''Duckeodendron'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae represented by a single species, ''Duckeodendron cestroides''. A tree reaching 15 to 30 m, it is found in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. Its common names include pincel ...

'' (in 1925 ) and ''

Duckesia ''Duckesia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Humiriaceae. Its native range is Venezuela, Brazil and Peru. The genus name of ''Duckesia'' is in honour of Adolpho Ducke (1876–1959), an entomologist, botanist and ethnograph ...

'' (in 1961 ).

Entomological publications

* Ducke, A. (1897). ''Ent. Nachr., 23'', 38-43. * Ducke, A. (1898). ''Ent. Nachr., 24'', 212-217, 257-262. * Ducke, A. (1899). ''Ent. Nachr., 25'', 211-215. * Ducke, A. (1900). ''Ber. Ver., 25'', 1-323. * Ducke, A. (1901). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 1'', 353-361. * Ducke, A. (1901). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 1'', 25-32, 49-67. * Ducke, A. (1901). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 1'', 241-242. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Bol. Mus. Paraense Emilio Goeldi, 3'', 561-577. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Allg. Zeitschr. Entomol., 7'', 321-325, 360-368, 400-404, 417-421. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zool. Jb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere, 17'', 285-328. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 2'', 91-93. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 2'', 102-103. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 2'', 141-144. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Verhandl. Zool. Bot. Ges., 52'', 575-580. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 2'', 204-207. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 3'', 97-104. * Ducke, A. (1903). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 3'', 176-177. * Ducke, A. (1903). ''Allgem. Zeitschr. Ent., 8'', 368-372. * Ducke, A. (1903). ''Allg. Zeit. Entomol., 8'', 368. * Ducke, A. (1903). ''Verhandlungen der kaiserlich-königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 53'', 265-270. * Ducke, A. (1903). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 3'', 129-136, 226-232. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 4'', 209-214. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 4'', 189-190. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 36'', 13-48. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Bol. Mus. Emílio Goeldi, 4'', 317-371. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 4''(3), 134-143. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 4'', 91-98. * Ducke, A. (1905). ''Zeitschr. wiss. Insektenbiol., 10/11'', 175-177, 117-121. * Ducke, A. (1905). ''Rev. Ent., 24'', 1-24. * Ducke, A. (1905). ''Bol. Mus. Emílio Goeldi, 4'', 652-698. * Ducke, A. (1905). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 36'', 99-109. * Ducke, A. (1905). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 5'', 227-229. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 38'', 3-19. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 6'', 394-400. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Zeitschr. wiss. Insektenbiol., 2'', 17-21. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Rev. Ent., 25'', 5-11. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr., 1906'', 163-166. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 2'', 51-60. * Ducke, A. (1906). (Second suppl.). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 38'', 3-19. * Ducke, A. (1907 (1908)). ''Rev. Ent., 26'', 73-96. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 7'', 80, 321-325, 361-368, 455-461. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Rev. Ent., 26'', 5-9. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Rev. Ent., 26'', 145-148. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr., 76'', 28-30. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Bol. Mus. Paraense Emílio Goeldi, 5'', 152-199. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 7'', 137-141. * Ducke, A. (1908). ''Dt. ent. Zeitschr., 1908'', 695-700. * Ducke, A. (1908). II. Hyménoptères récoltés dans l'Etat de Ceará en 1908. ''Rev. Ent., 27'', 57-87. * Ducke, A. (1908). ''Rev. Ent., 27'', 28-55. * Ducke, A. (1908). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 8'', 44-47, 99-104. * Ducke, A. (1909 (1911)). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 41'', 89-115. * Ducke, A. (1909). ''Ann. Hist. Nat. Mus. Nat. Hungarici, 7'', 626-627. * Ducke, A. (1909). ''Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr., 18'', 306-309. * Ducke, A. (1909). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 41'', 89-115. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Rev. Ent., 29'', 78-122. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Rev. Ent., 29'', 73-77. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Rev. Trimestral do Instituto do Ceará, 24'', 3-61. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Ann. Mus. Nat. Hungarici, 8'', 449-544. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Rev. Ent., 29'', 180-192. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Deutsch. Ent. Zeitschr., 1910'', 362-369. * Ducke, A. (1912). ''Zool. Jb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere, 34'', 51-116. * Ducke, A. (1913). ''Catálogos da Fauna Brazileira, Museu Paulista, 4'', 1-31. * Ducke, A. (1913). ''Rev. Mus. Paulista, 5'', 107-122. * Ducke, A. (1913). ''Deutsch. Ent. Zeitschr., 1913'', 330-333. * Ducke, A. (1914). ''Zool. Jb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere, 36'', 303-330. * Ducke, A. (1916). ''Commissão de Linhas Telegráficas Estratégicas de Matto Grosso ao Amazonas, 35 (anexo 5)'', 1-175. * Ducke, A. (1918). ''Rev. Mus. Paulista, 10'', 314-374. * Ducke, A. (1925). ''Zool. Jb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere, 49'', 335-448.

Botanical publications

* Ducke, A. (1910). Explorações botânicas e entomológicas no Estado do Ceará. ''Rev. Trimestral do Instituto do Ceará, 24'', 3-61.

References

Other sources

* Egler, W. A. (1963). Adolpho Ducke-traços biográficos, viagens e trabalhos. ''Boletim do Museu Emílio Goeldi. Nova série. Botânica, 18'', 1-129. * Overal, W. L. (1978). Designação de lectótipos de onze espécies de vespas sociais descritas por Adolpho Ducke, e notas sobre a coleção Ducke (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). ''Bol. Mus. Paraense Emílio Goeldi, n.s., Zool., 94'', 1-14. * Nascimento, P. T. R., & Overal, W. L. (1979). Contribuições entomológicas de Adolpho Ducke: taxônomia e bibliográfia. ''Bol. Mus. Paraense Emílio Goeldi, n.s., Zool., 95'', 1-22. * Overal, W. L. (1979). The collection of Adolph Ducke. ''Sphecos, 1'', 17-19. * Overal, W. L., & Nascimento, P. T. R. (1979). Contribuições entomológicas de Adolpho Ducke: Taxonomia e bibliografia. ''Bol. Mus. Paraense Emílio Goeldi, n.s., Zool., 95'', 1-17. * Carpenter, J. M. (1999). Taxonomic notes on paper wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae). ''American Museum Novitates(3259), 1-44.

External links

Botanist of the Brazilian Rainforest
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ducke, Adolpho 1876 births 1959 deaths Brazilian ethnographers Hymenopterists 20th-century Brazilian botanists Brazilian people of Austrian descent Brazilian people of Italian descent 19th-century Brazilian botanists Brazilian entomologists