Robert F. Sternitzky (August 25, 1891 - May 1980) was a United States

lepidopterist Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian. Origins Post- Renaissance, t ...

and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

. Butterfly and moth specimens he collected are in a number of collections, including those of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the

Essig Museum of Entomology The Essig Museum of Entomology is a research museum dedicated to terrestrial arthropods, located at the University of California at Berkeley. It contains perhaps the world's largest collection of California insects and has been ranked among the top ...

(at the University of California at Berkeley), Manitoba Museum, and the

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...

. He collected primarily in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

and

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

. In 1930, he described ''Plebejus icarioides moroensis'' (Morro Bay blue or Morro blue), having taken the type specimen at Morro Beach, in

San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo. Junípero Serra founded the Missio ...

, California, on June 1, 1929; it is now known as '' Aricia icarioides moroensis''. In 1937, he described the "Bay checkerspot", ''Euphydryas editha'' var. ''bayensis''; it is now known as '' Euphydryas editha bayensis''. In 1945, he described the subspecies '' Parnassius clodius strohbeeni''. He was accompanied on some collecting trips by Charles Henry Ingham. He painted a plate depicting seventeen

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

e and

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

e, in color, for John Adams Comstock's ''Butterflies of California''. The book was published in 1927 in very small editions, and is now rare. A facsimile edition was published in 1989; Sternitzky's is the only plate reproduced in color. In April 1948 he notified the

Lepidopterists' Society The Lepidopterists' Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera). Founded in 1947 and based in the United States, it has an international focus and membership. Publications The society's ma ...

of a change of address, to

Laytonville Laytonville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located north-northwest of Willits, at an elevation of . The population was 1,152 at the 2020 census, down from 1,227 at the 2010 census. Geogr ...

Mendocino County Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish for "of Mendoza) is a county located on the North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,601. The county seat is Ukiah. Mendocino County consists wholly ...

. The same issue carried his advertisement, both for specimens sold commercially, and his services as an illustrator for museums. He died in 1980. Some of his specimens were purchased by

Cyril Franklin dos Passos Cyril (also Cyrillus or Cyryl) is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek name Κύριλλος (''Kýrillos''), meaning 'lordly, masterful', which in turn derives from Greek κυριος (''kýrios'') 'lord'. There are various varia ...

. The species ''

Nemeris sternitzkyi ''Nemeris sternitzkyi'' is a species of geometrid moth in the family Geometridae. It is found in North America. The MONA or Hodges number for ''Nemeris sternitzkyi'' is 6876.2. It was named, by Frederick H. Rindge in honour of the entomologist ...

'' was named in his honor by

Frederick H. Rindge Frederick Hastings Rindge (1857–1905) was an American business magnate, patriarch of the illustrious and prominent Rindge family, real estate developer, philanthropist, and writer, of Los Angeles, California. He was a major benefactor to his ...

in 1981, as had been ''Parnassius phoebus sternitzkyi'' (Sternitzky's parnassian), by

James Halliday McDunnough James Halliday McDunnough (10 May 1877 – 23 February 1962) was a Canadian linguist, musician, and entomologist best known for his work with North American Lepidoptera, but who also made important contributions about North American Ephemerop ...

, in 1936; the latter is now known as '' Parnassius smintheus sternitzkyi''.

Claude Lemaire Claude Lemaire (21 February 1921 – 5 February 2004) was a French entomologist. He specialised in Lepidoptera Saturniidae. Studies * Graduate Diploma of Civil Law, Faculty of Law of Paris * Graduate Diploma of Political Economy, Faculty of Law of ...

et al. have questioned the accuracy of some of the locations on Sternitzky's specimen labels.

Papers

* * * *

References

External links

''Parnassius clodius strohbeeni'' types
- images, including labels {{DEFAULTSORT:Sternitzky, Robert F. 1891 births 1980 deaths American lepidopterists 20th-century American zoologists People from Laytonville, California Taxon authorities