Martial Étienne Mulsant (2 March 1797,
Marnand, Rhône – 4 November 1880) was a French
entomologist and
ornithologist.
Biography
Initially employed in commerce, Mulsant wrote ''Lettres à Julie sur l'entomologie, suivies d'une description méthodique de la plus grande partie des insectes de France, ornées de planches''... ("Letters to Julie on entomology, followed by a methodical description of the greatest part of the insects of France with, decorated plates..."), dedicated to his future wife, Julie Ronchivole.
In 1817, he became
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
of
Saint-Jean-la-Bussière, where his parents had property. In 1827 he became, following his father and grandfather, a justice of the peace. He settled in
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...
in 1830 and in 1839, he obtained a post of assistant
librarian and then, in 1843, a post of professor of
natural history in a college; a post he occupied until 1873.
In 1840, he published ''Histoire naturelle des Coléoptères de France'', ("Natural History of the
Coleoptera of France") with various other entomologists :
Antoine Casimir Marguerite Eugène Foudras (1783–1859) and
Claudius Rey (1817–1895), his former pupil. He also had as pupils
Francisque Guillebeau Francisque Guillebeau (1821, Lyon – 1897) was a French entomologist, specializing in Coleoptera.
A farmer by trade, he also spent twelve years serving as a justice of the peace. From 1858 to 1874 he was mayor in the town of Le Plantay.
In 1 ...
(1821–1897) and
Valéry Mayet (1839–1909). His 1846 and 1850 monographs on the subject formed the basis for much of modern
ladybug taxonomy.
With
Jean Baptist Édouard Verreaux (1810–1868), he wrote ''Histoire naturelle des punaises de France'', ("Natural History of the
bugs of France") between 1865 and 1879. He also published school texts on
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...
and
geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...
. He was, for many years, president of the ''Société linnéenne de Lyon''. He was also interested in birds, publishing several studies and taking part in the work of the commission on hunting small birds. In 1868, he wrote ''Lettres à Julie sur l'ornithologie'' ("Letters to Julie on ornithology"), a splendid work on the ''oiseaux-mouches de 1874 à 1877''.
A monumental research work was published by Etienne Mulsant, titled ''Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux-Mouches, ou Colibris constituant la famille des Trochilïdes'' (published in 1874–77). It contained 4 text volumes, with a separate Atlas of colored plates in imperial quarto size (lg.4to) by Lyon-Geneve-Bale. The Atlas is illustrated with 120 exceptional, fine, large hand-colored
lithograph plates of the known species of
hummingbirds. Copies of this illustrated Atlas on hummingbirds are extremely rare.
The "hummingbird of Mulsant", ''Acestrura mulsanti'' (now ''
Chaetocercus mulsant''), was named for him by
Jules Bourcier in 1842. The ladybug genus ''
Mulsantina'' is also named in his honor.
See also
*
Bucolus fourneti - described by Mulsant in 1850.
References
External links
Zoologica Göttingen State and University LibrarySpecies des coléoptères trimères sécuripalpes (1850)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulsant, Etienne
1797 births
1880 deaths
People from Rhône (department)
Legitimists
French entomologists
French ornithologists
Mayors of places in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes