Josef Mik, also Joseph Mik (23 March 1839 in

Zábřeh Zábřeh (; ) is a town in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Zábřeh consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): ...

– 13 October 1900 in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

) was a

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

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 ...

mainly interested in

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advance ...

. He described many new

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), ...

and made contributions to knowledge of the Diptera of Central Europe. Mik was the first dipterist to clarify the chaetotaxy of the legs. " On the legs I distinguish a front haeta and a hind-side; an upper- and an under-side. When we imagine the leg stretched out horizontally and perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the body, the front-side is that which is turned towards the head, and the hind-sidethat turned towards the end of the body; the upper- and under-side, in such a case, are self-understood."Mik, J. 1878 Dipterologische Untersuchungen Jahresber K.K. Akad. Gymnasium Vienna Mik was born in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

. From 1871 to 1889 he was teacher at the Academic Gymnasium in Vienna. In 1889 he was given the

Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cro ...

of the

Order of Franz Joseph The Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph () was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 2 December 1849, on the first anniversary of his accession to the imperial throne. Classes The order was originally awarded in three classes: ''G ...

; he died in Vienna.

Works

* 1866 Beitrag zur Dipterenfauna des österreichischen Küstenlandes. ''Abh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien'' 16:301-310. * 1883 Dipterologische Bemerkungen I, II. ''Abh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien'' 33: 181-192. * 1886 Dipterologische Miscellen, II, III, ''Wien. Ent. Ztg.'' 5: 276-279, 317-318 * 1887 Dipterologische Miscellen. VI. ''Wien. Ent. Ztg.'' 6: 238-242. * 1891 Ueber die Dipterengattung Pachystylum Mcq. ''Wien. Ent. Ztg.'' 10: 206-212. * 1891 Vorläufige Notiz über Parathalassius blasigii, ein neues Dipteron aus Venedig. ''Wien. Ent.Ztg.'' 10: 216-217. * 1894 Dipterologische Miscellen (2. Serie). IV. ''Wien. Ent. Ztg.'' 13:49-54. * 1895 Dipterologische Miscellen (2. Series). VI. ''Wien. Ent. Ztg.'' 14:93-98. * 1895 With Friedrich (Fritz) Wachtl Commentar zu den Arbeiten von Hartig und Ratzeburg über Raupenfliegen (Tachiniden).Auf Grund einer Revision der Hartig’schen Tachiniden-Sammlung. ''Wien. Ent. Ztg.'' 14:213-48. Mik also made contributions to the field 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 ...

References

* Freiherr Osten-Sacken, C. R. 1903: ''Record of my life and work in entomology''. - Cambridge (Mass.) * Riedl, H. 1975: ''Mik, Josef'', in: Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon VI. - Wien {{DEFAULTSORT:Mik, Josef Scientists from Bohemia Entomologists from Austria-Hungary Dipterists People from Zábřeh 1839 births 1900 deaths