Theodorus Willem van Lidth de Jeude (1 February 1853 – 29 May 1937) was a Dutch

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 ...

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 is not to be confused with his grandfather's brother, the Dutch veterinarian and zoologist

Theodoor Gerard van Lidth de Jeude Theodoor Gerard van Lidth de Jeude (8 July 1788 in Tiel – 23 December 1863 in Utrecht) was a Dutch physician, veterinarian, and zoologist and was the first director of the newly established Rijks Veterinary College where Veterinary medicine was ...

(1788–1863).Adler, K. (ed.) (2007) Contributions to the history of herpetology, Vol 2. SSAR Contributions to Herpetology, 389 pp. (p. 116)

Life and career

T.W. van Lidth de Jeude was born on 1 February 1853 in

Helmond Helmond (; called ''Hèllemond'' in the local dialect) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of ...

, about 15 km east of

Eindhoven Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...

. He attended the

University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of 39,769 students, a ...

where his grandfather, T.G. van Lidth de Jeude, taught zoology and veterinary science. Theorodus Willem received his Ph.D. in 1882 for a thesis on

coleopteran Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described ...

larvae A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...

. Between 1882 and 1884 he studied fishes in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and at Kralingen (near Rotterdam). In 1884, he became curator of Lower Vertebrates at the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

. He retired from his curatorship in 1923 but kept working at the museum until 1931. T.W. von Lidth de Jeude died in Leiden on 29 May 1937.

Species described

Lidth de Jeude described many species, e.g. 23 species of reptilesReptiles described by Lidth de Jeude
in th
Reptile Database
/ref> that are still recognized today, including * ''

Anomochilus weberi ''Anomochilus weberi'', commonly known as Weber's dwarf pipesnake or the Sumatran giant blind snake, is a species of snake in the dwarf pipesnake family Anomochilidae. It is endemic to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, where it inhabits monta ...

'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1890) * ''Aphaniotis ornata'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1893) * ''Arthrosaura kockii'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1904) * ''Arthrosaura versteegii'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1904) * ''Asthenodipsas tropidonotus'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1923) * ''Calamaria crassa'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1922) * ''Calamaria prakkei'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1893) * ''

Cnemidophorus arubensis ''Cnemidophorus arubensis'', commonly known as the Aruba whiptail or ''cododo,'' is a species of whiptail lizard in the genus ''Cnemidophorus''. The female and young lizards are known as (English: Lizard), while the mature males are called (Eng ...

'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1887) * ''Dendrelaphis lorentzi'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1911) * ''Dopasia buettikoferi'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1905) * ''Eremiascincus emigrans'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1895) * ''Gonatodes antillensis'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1887) * ''Hemidactylus tenkatei'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1895) * ''Lamprolepis nieuwenhuisii'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1905) * ''Opisthotropis rugosa'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1890) * ''Phyllodactylus martini'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1887) * ''Sphenomorphus buettikoferi'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1905) * '' Trimeresurus hageni'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1886) * ''Tropidonophis montanus'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1911) * ''Tropidonophis novaeguineae'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1911) * ''Tropidophorus iniquus'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1905) * ''Tropidophorus micropus'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1905) * ''Tytthoscincus hallieri'' (LIDTH DE JEUDE 1905)

References

1853 births 1937 deaths Dutch curators Dutch herpetologists Dutch zoologists People from Helmond Utrecht University alumni {{zoologist-stub