Michele Lessona (20 September 1823,
Venaria Reale,
Piedmont – 20 July 1894,
Turin) was an Italian
zoologist.
Michele Lessona became a specialist in
amphibian
Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...
s. His accomplishments include the translation of certain works of
Darwin
Darwin may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection
* Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...
, for example, ''
The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex
''The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex'' is a book by English naturalist Charles Darwin, first published in 1871, which applies evolutionary theory to human evolution, and details his theory of sexual selection, a form of biolo ...
''.
Biography
Lessona studied medicine in
Turin, afterwards relocating to Egypt, where he worked in a hospital outside of Cairo as hospital director at Karnak.
From 1850 he studied
natural science
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...
s at Turin, and in the meantime found employment as a secondary school teacher. In 1854 he attained the chair of
mineralogy
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...
and
zoology at the
University of Genoa.
In 1862, with
Filippo de Filippi, he took part in a scientific and diplomatic mission to Persia, and after his return to Italy, he was named chair of zoology at the
University of Bologna in 1863.
In 1867 he became chair of zoology and
comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species).
The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...
at the
University of Turin. He was the first to translate Darwin's ''The Descent of Man'' into Italian, in 1871. He was also a Senator of the Kingdom from 1877 to 1894.
Eponyms
Lessona has several
herpetological
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning " reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and r ...
species named after him, such as ''
Pelophylax lessonae'',
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2013). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians''. Exeter, England: Pelagic Publishing Ltd. xiii + 262 pp. . ("Lessona", p. 124).] ''
Diploglossus lessonae
The Brazilian galliwasp (''Diploglossus lessonae'') is a carnivorous species of lizard endemic to northeastern Brazil. It is known in Brazil as the “Calango Coral” or “Calango Liso”
Etymology
''D. lessonae'' is named in honour of Itali ...
'',
and ''
Trapelus lessonae
''Trapelus'' is a genus of Middle Eastern agamid lizards, which contains 13 species.
Species
Listed alphabetically, the species are: ''.
[Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Lessona", p. 156).]
Works
Partial list
* ', 1869. Florence.
* ''Carlo Darwin''. 1883. Reissued by Kessinger, 2009, .
* ''Venti anni fa'' 1884. Reissued by Kessinger, 2009, .
* ''Le cacce in Persia''. 1884. Rome. Reissued by Kessinger, 2010, .
References
External links
*
*
Google BooksThe Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles by Bo Beolens, Michael Watkins, Michael Grayson.
torinoscienzaIn Italian
WorldCat Identities(list of published works)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lessona, Michele
1823 births
1894 deaths
People from Venaria Reale
Italian zoologists
University of Bologna faculty
University of Turin faculty
University of Genoa faculty
Italian herpetologists