Francesca Raimonde LaMonte (or La Monte; 1895–1982) was a noted

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ...

and a founding figure of the

International Game Fish Association The International Game Fish Association (''IGFA'') is the leading authority on angling pursuits and the keeper of the most current world record fishing catches by fish categories. Fishermen who are sport fishers and anglers are careful to follow ...

Career

LaMonte worked as an Assistant Curator at the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

from 1920 to 1962. She began working with the museum two years after graduating from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

by translating scientific articles to English from French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Russian. LaMonte conducted significant field work, specializing in big game fish such as marlins and swordfish. She authored numerous scientific papers and best-selling fishing guides with vivid descriptors. Her years of science writing gained her the respect of prominent literary figures, including

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

, whom she advised on fish anatomical descriptions. The genus of the South American armored catfish (''

Lamontichthys ''Lamontichthys'' is a genus of Loricariidae, armored catfishes native to South America. Taxonomy The phylogenetics, phylogenetic position of ''Lamontichthys'' remains uncertain. It has been considered to be cladistics, sister to ''Harttia'', wh ...

'') is named after her, immortalizing her contributions to fish conservation.Women In Museum History at the American Museum of Natural History
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Works

* LaMonte, F. (1945). ''North American Game Fishes.'' Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co

References

* https://igfa.org/history-francesca-lamonte

Career

Works

See also

References

Further reading