Charles Thomas Bingham
Encyclopedia
Charles Thomas Bingham was an Irish
military officer and entomologist.
Bingham’s military career began in India where he was a soldier in the Bombay Staff Corps and later with the Bengal Staff Corps. At first interested in ornithology
he took up entomology
from 1877 following a posting to Burma where he was also Conservator of Forests.
On his retirement in 1894 he settled with his wife and two sons, (his three daughters married in India), in London. Here he worked, unpaid, in the “Insect Room” of the Natural History Museum
, organising and cataloguing the world collection of Aculeate
Hymenoptera
. He took over from William Thomas Blanford
the editorship of two of the Hymenoptera volumes of The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma series and two of the butterfly volumes.
He was elected a Fellow of the Entomological Society of London in 1895 and was a member of its council 1903-1906. In the same year he became a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London
.
He also extensively improved on the earlier published information from Frederic Moore
and Lionel de Nicéville
. The following is from his preface to the butterflies volume of The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma:
, London.
Duplicates in Humboldt Museum
, Berlin.
Lepidoptera
. Scattered, presumably sold. Parnassius
in Ulster Museum
Belfast.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
military officer and entomologist.
Bingham’s military career began in India where he was a soldier in the Bombay Staff Corps and later with the Bengal Staff Corps. At first interested in ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
he took up entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
from 1877 following a posting to Burma where he was also Conservator of Forests.
On his retirement in 1894 he settled with his wife and two sons, (his three daughters married in India), in London. Here he worked, unpaid, in the “Insect Room” of the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, organising and cataloguing the world collection of Aculeate
Aculeata
The name Aculeata is used to refer to a monophyletic lineage of Hymenoptera. The word "Aculeata" is a reference to the defining feature of the group, which is the modification of the ovipositor into a stinger . In other words, the structure that was originally used to lay eggs is modified instead...
Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. There are over 130,000 recognized species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν : membrane and...
. He took over from William Thomas Blanford
William Thomas Blanford
William Thomas Blanford was an English geologist and naturalist. He is best remembered as the editor of a major series on The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma.-Biography:Blanford was born in London...
the editorship of two of the Hymenoptera volumes of The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma series and two of the butterfly volumes.
He was elected a Fellow of the Entomological Society of London in 1895 and was a member of its council 1903-1906. In the same year he became a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
.
Works
He collaborated with other naturalists across India to produce his works on the Indian lepidoptera and hymenoptera.- The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Hymenoptera. Volume 1. Wasps and bees. London: Taylor and Francis(1897).
- The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Hymenoptera, Volume 2. Ants and Cuckoo-wasps. London: Taylor and Francis(1903).
- The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Butterflies Volume 1.London: Taylor and Francis(1905).
- The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Butterflies Volume 2.London: Taylor and Francis(1907)
He also extensively improved on the earlier published information from Frederic Moore
Frederic Moore
Frederic Moore FZS was a British entomologist. It has been said that Moore was born at 33 Bruton Street but may be incorrect given that this was the address of the menagerie and office of the Zoological Society of London from 1826 to 1836.Moore was appointed an assistant in the East India Company...
and Lionel de Nicéville
Lionel de Nicéville
Charles Lionel Augustus de Nicéville was a curator at the Indian Museum in Calcutta . He studied the butterflies of South Asia and wrote a three volume monograph on the butterflies of India, Pakistan, Burma and Sri Lanka.Born in a noble Huguenot family, his father was a physician. He was educated...
. The following is from his preface to the butterflies volume of The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma:
Collections
Hymenoptera in the Natural History MuseumNatural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, London.
Duplicates in Humboldt Museum
Humboldt Museum
The Museum für Naturkunde, officially the ' or Naturkundemuseum , occasionally known as the Humboldt Museum, is a natural history museum in Berlin, Germany. Usually the museum's name is abbreviated MFN...
, Berlin.
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
. Scattered, presumably sold. Parnassius
Parnassius
Parnassius is a genus of northern circumpolar and montane butterflies usually known as Apollos. They can vary in colour and form significantly based on their altitude. They also show an adaptation to high altitudes called altitudinal melanism...
in Ulster Museum
Ulster Museum
The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures from the Spanish Armada, local history, numismatics, industrial...
Belfast.