Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 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. ...

– 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ...

, and

herpetologist Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...

. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner described hundreds of new species of fish and dozens of new amphibians and reptiles. At least seven species of reptile have been named after him.

Work and career

Being interested in

natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, Steindachner took up the study of

fossil fish Fish began evolving about 530 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion. It was during this time that the early chordates developed the skull and the vertebral column, leading to the first craniates and vertebrates. The first fish line ...

es on the recommendation of his friend

Eduard Suess Eduard Suess (; 20 August 1831 – 26 April 1914) was an Austrian geologist and an expert on the geography of the Alps. He is responsible for hypothesising two major former geographical features, the supercontinent Gondwana (proposed in 1861) and ...

(1831–1914). In 1860 he was appointed to the position of director of the fish collection at the

Natural History Museum, Vienna The Natural History Museum Vienna () is a large natural history museum located in Vienna, Austria. The NHM Vienna is one of the largest museums and non-university research institutions in Austria and an important center of excellence for all matt ...

, a position which had remained vacant since the death of

Johann Jakob Heckel Johann Jakob Heckel (23 January 1790 – 1 March 1857) was an Austrian taxidermist, zoology, zoologist, and ichthyology, ichthyologist from Mannheim in the Electoral Palatinate. He worked at the Royal natural history cabinet in Vienna which later ...

(1790–1857). (in German). Steindachner's reputation as an

grew, and in 1868 he was invited by

Louis Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he recei ...

(1807–1873) to accept a position at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. Steindachner took part in the ''Hassler'' Expedition of 1871–1872 (a journey that circumnavigated South America from Boston to San Francisco). In 1874 he returned to Vienna, and in 1887 was appointed director of the zoological department of the Natural History Museum. In 1898 he was promoted to director of the museum. He travelled extensively during his career, his research trips taking him throughout the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

, the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

, the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, Latin America, et al. In his zoological studies, his interests were mainly from a

systematic Systematic may refer to: Science * Short for systematic error * Systematic fault * Systematic bias, errors that are introduced by an inaccuracy inherent to the system Economy * Systematic trading, a way of defining trade goals, risk control ...

and

faunistic Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and ''funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively r ...

standpoint. Among his better known works in ichthyology are (1863, published over 8 editions), (1874), and (1879), the latter work dealing with river fish of South America. In the field of

herpetology Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...

, he published (Snakes and lizards of the

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of sli ...

, 1875). From 1875, he was member of the Vienna Academy of Sciences. In 1892 he became a member of the

German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (), in short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded on 1 January 1652, based on academic models in Italy, it was originally named the ''Academi ...

Eponymy

A number of taxa have been named from Steindachner's collections after him: Fish genera * '' Steindachneria'', a fish genus of the western Atlantic; (''Steindachneria argentea'', commonly known as the luminous hake). * '' Steindachneridion'', a genus of fish in South America discovered by Steindachner, is named after him. * '' Steindachnerina'', a genus of fish in South America. Fish species * '' Leptagoniates steindachneri,'' an Amazon river fish * '' Istiblennius steindachneri'', a combtooth blenny from the Western Indian Ocean * '' Nosferatu steindachneri'', a Mexican cichlid * '' Bario steindachneri'', a characin from Peru and Brazil * '' Taractichthys steindachneri'' ( Döderlein, 1883), a

pomfret Pomfrets are scombriform fish belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of ...

from the Indo-Pacific. * '' Synodontis steindachneri'' from Africa, an upside down catfish * '' Trachydoras steindachneri'', a thorny catfish from the Amazon * '' Labeobarbus steindachneri'', a barb from the Cameroons * '' Phoxinus steindachneri'', a minnow from north east Asia * '' Raiamas steindachneri'', a cyprinid * ''

Rhinoptera steindachneri The golden cownose ray or Pacific cownose ray (''Rhinoptera steindachneri'') is a species of Batoidea, ray. It is found in the East Pacific along the coast of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pa ...

'', the Golden Cownosed ray * '' Cathorops steindachneri'', Steindachner's sea catfish * '' Gymnothorax steindachneri'', the Brown Speckled Moray eel * '' Gnathocharax steindachneri'', a characin from the Amazon and Orinoco * '' Geophagus steindachneri'' the Redhump Eartheater, a cichlid from Northeast South America * '' Luciobarbus steindachneri'', a barbel from the Iberian peninsula * ''

Ophioblennius steindachneri Ophioblennius is a genus of combtooth blennies native to the Atlantic and to the Pacific coasts of the Americas. Species There are currently five recognized species in this genus: * '' Ophioblennius atlanticus'' (Valenciennes Valencienne ...

'', a blenny from the Eastern Pacific * '' Petrocephalus steindachneri'' Fowler, 1958, a

Mormyrid The Mormyridae, sometimes called "elephantfish" (more properly freshwater elephantfish), are a superfamily of Electric fish, weakly electric fish in the order Osteoglossiformes native to Africa. It is by far the largest family in the order, with ...

from

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

* '' Cynoscion steindachneri'', a drum * '' Hypoptopoma steindachneri'', a Loricariid * '' Haemulon steindachneri'', a chere-chere grunt * '' Umbrina steindachneri'', a drum * '' Hypomasticus steindachneri'', a South American headstander * '' Nematabramis steindachnerii'' Popta, 1905, a Bornean danio Reptile species * '' Amphisbaena steindachneri,'' a worm lizard from South America * '' Chelodina steindachneri'', a long necked turtle from Australia * '' Lucasium steindachneri'', a gecko from Australia * '' Kinosternon steindachneri'', a Florida mud turtle * '' Lioscincus steindachneri'', a skink from New Caledonia * '' Micrurus steindachneri'', a snake * '' Palea steindachneri,'' a softshell turtle from China and Southeast Asia, * '' Phrynocephalus steindachneri'', a lizard (synonym of ''Phrynocephalus przewalskii)'', * '' Pseudalsophis steindachneri'', a species of snake from the

.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Steindachner", p. 252). Bird species and subspecies * Speckle-chested piculet, '' Picumnus steindachneri'' * Australasian pipit, '' Anthus novaeseelandiae steindachner'' from the

Antipodes Islands The Antipodes Islands (, ) are inhospitable and uninhabited volcanic islands in subantarctic waters to the south of – and territorially part of – New Zealand. The archipelago lies to the southeast of Stewart Island / Rakiura, and to the ...

. Amphibian species * '' Hyperolius steindachneri'' from Africa * '' Sclerophrys steindachneri'', a toad found throughout sub tropical Africa Invertebrates * '' Aphonopelma steindachneri'', a spider from the area of Southern California to Baja California. * '' Bombus steindachneri'', a Mexican bumblebee * '' Neduba steindachneri'', a katydid * '' Stenomax steindachneri'', a beetle * '' Copiopteryx steindachneri,'' a moth * '' Onchidella steindachneri'', a sea slug * '' Abralia steindachneri'', a squid * '' Ceratothoa steindachneri'', a fish parasite

References

External links

*
"The Herpetological Collection"

(in English) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Steindachner, Franz 19th-century Austrian zoologists Austrian taxonomists 1834 births 1919 deaths Austrian herpetologists Austrian ichthyologists Scientists from Austria-Hungary Harvard University staff Scientists from Vienna Naturalists from Austria-Hungary 20th-century Austrian zoologists *

Work and career

Eponymy

See also

References

Further reading

External links