Theodore Pergande (28 December 1840 – 23 March 1916) was a German-born American entomological pioneer known for his skills in rearing insects. He made careful observations on aphids and thrips and made collections and studies on North American ants, several of which, including the harvester ant '' Messor pergandei'' and the scale insect '' Parlatoria pergandii'', have been named after him.

Biography

Pergande was born in Germany and moved to the United States at the beginning of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and served in the northern army. He had worked for a while as a mechanic in a gun works factory in

Stettin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major seaport, the largest city of northwestern Poland, and se ...

and left Germany ostensibly to avoid marrying a girl from a Catholic family. After the war, he lived in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

where he married a German, worked in a gun-making company, and collected insects on weekends. On one of his weekend collecting trips, he met Otto Lugger who was then retiring. Lugger recommended Pergande as an assistant to C.V. Riley, state entomologist in Missouri. When Riley moved to the US Department of Entomology, he took Pergande along. Pergande described many species of insects and was in-charge of rearing insects and was noted for his care in mounting specimens. Pergande was among the oldest members of the

Entomological Society of Washington The Entomological Society of Washington was organized on February 29, 1884 at a meeting called by three entomologists employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Charles Valentine Riley, Eugene Amandus Schwarz, and Leland Ossian Howard, in Ri ...

and was among the several other influential entomologists of German origin along with

Hermann August Hagen Hermann August Hagen (30 May 1817 – 9 November 1893) was a German entomologist who specialised in Neuroptera and Odonata. He had established himself as one of Europe's preeminent entomologists by 1867 when he accepted a position at Harvard Univ ...

, Eugene Amandus Schwarz, George Marx, A.J. Schafhirt, Otto Heidemann, Frederick Knab and Albert Koebele.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pergande, Theodore 1840 births 1916 deaths American entomologists Myrmecologists Emigrants from the German Confederation to the United States Union army soldiers