Giovanni Passerini was an Italian

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

, born on June 16, 1816, in Pieve di Guastalla. He died on April 17, 1893, in

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

. In 1836 he studied medicine at the

University of Parma The University of Parma () is a public university located in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Organized into nine departments, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. As of 2016, it had approximately 26,000 students. History During the ...

, where from 1844 onward, he was a professor of

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and director of the Orto Botanico di Parma.BHL
Taxonomic literature : a selective guide to botanical publications He is the author of several works on the

aphids Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

. His collection, of 5,500 specimens in 52

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

kinds and 89

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, is in the natural history museum of the University of Parma. In 1875, he was the first president of the Italian-Parma section of the

Alpine Club Alpine clubs are typically large social clubs that revolve around climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Many alpine clubs also take on aspects typically reserved for local sport associations, providing education and training courses, se ...

(Club Alpino Italiano a Parma). With

Vincenzo de Cesati Vincenzo de Cesati (1806–1883) was an Italian botanist from Milan. He studied natural history and law at the University of Vienna, and afterwards worked as a volunteer at the Collegium Nacionale de Vercelli. From 1868 to 1883 he was directo ...

and Giuseppe Gibelli, he was co-author of a compendium of Italian flora, titled "''Compendio della flora italiana''". In 1875

Pier Andrea Saccardo Pier Andrea Saccardo (23 April 1845 in Treviso, Province of Treviso, Treviso – 12 February 1920 in Padua, Italy, Padua) was an Italian botany, botanist and mycology, mycologist. His multi-volume ''Sylloge Fungorum'' was one of the first attempt ...

named the fungal genus '' Passerinula'' in his honor. Then in 1892,

Augusto Napoleone Berlese Augusto Napoleone Berlese (21 October 1864, in Padua – 26 January 1903, in Milan) was an Italian botanist and mycologist. He was the brother of entomologist Antonio Berlese 1863–1927, with whom he founded the journal ''Rivista di patologi ...

named the fungal genus '' Passeriniella'' in his honor as well.

Major works

*Gli insetti autori delle galle del Terebinto e del Lentisco insieme ad alcune specie congeneri. Giornale Giardini Orticolt. 3: 258–265 (1856). *Gli afidi con un prospetto dei generi ed alcune specie nuove Italiane. Parma : Tipografia Carmignani 40 pp. (1860). *Aphididae Italicae hucusque observatae. Arch. Zool. Anat. Fisiol. 2: 129–212 (1863).

References

*Cesare Conci et Roberto Poggi (1996), Iconography of Italian Entomologists, with essential biographical data. ''Memorie della Società entomologica Italiana'', 75 : 159–382. {{DEFAULTSORT:Passerini, Giovanni 1816 births 1893 deaths People from Reggio Emilia Academic staff of the University of Parma Italian entomologists 19th-century Italian botanists People from the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza