Franco Andrea Bonelli
Encyclopedia
Franco Andrea Bonelli was an Italian
ornithologist
, entomologist and collector.
and was interested from an early age in the fauna which surrounded him, making collecting trips, preparing specimens and noting his observations.
He became a member of the Reale Società Agraria di Torino in 1807 when he presented his first studies relating to the Coleoptera of Piedmont
. The high quality of these studies attracted the interest of the naturalists of his time.
In April 1810, George Vat was sent to Turin
by the French government to reorganize the University of Turin
and begin its fusion with the Impériale University
founded by Napoleon. Vat was very impressed by Bonelli’s knowledge. Vat encouraged him to further his knowledge by coming to follow courses at the Natural History Museum
in Paris
.
Bonelli took this advice so as obtain a professor’s chair in the new university. In September 1810, he arrived in Paris.
In 1811, Bonelli was finally named professor of zoology at the University of Turin
and keeper of the natural history museum of zoology. During his time at the university, he formed one of the largest ornithilogical collections in Europe.
In 1811, Bonelli wrote a Catalogue of the Birds of Piedmont, in which he described 262 species. In 1815, he discovered the bird Bonelli's Warbler
(Phylloscopus bonelli), named by Louis Vieillot in 1819. In the same year, he discovered Bonelli's Eagle
(Hieraaetus fasciatus) that was likewise named by Vieillot in 1822.
The successor of Bonelli at the Turin Museum was Carlo Giuseppe Gené.
later became Families
, sub families and tribes
. Also many of his genera survive.
Instances are the:
The last two are founding works of entomology, introducing many new taxa.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
ornithologist
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...
, entomologist and collector.
Life
Very little is known about the early life of Bonelli: he was born in CuneoCuneo
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...
and was interested from an early age in the fauna which surrounded him, making collecting trips, preparing specimens and noting his observations.
He became a member of the Reale Società Agraria di Torino in 1807 when he presented his first studies relating to the Coleoptera of Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
. The high quality of these studies attracted the interest of the naturalists of his time.
In April 1810, George Vat was sent to Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
by the French government to reorganize the University of Turin
University of Turin
The University of Turin is a university in the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of north-western Italy...
and begin its fusion with the Impériale University
University of France
The University of France was a highly centralized educational state organization founded by Napoleon I in 1808 and given authority not only over the individual, previously independent, universities, but also over primary and secondary education. The former individual universities were henceforth...
founded by Napoleon. Vat was very impressed by Bonelli’s knowledge. Vat encouraged him to further his knowledge by coming to follow courses at the Natural History Museum
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle
The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle is the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.- History :The museum was formally founded on 10 June 1793, during the French Revolution...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Bonelli took this advice so as obtain a professor’s chair in the new university. In September 1810, he arrived in Paris.
In 1811, Bonelli was finally named professor of zoology at the University of Turin
University of Turin
The University of Turin is a university in the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of north-western Italy...
and keeper of the natural history museum of zoology. During his time at the university, he formed one of the largest ornithilogical collections in Europe.
In 1811, Bonelli wrote a Catalogue of the Birds of Piedmont, in which he described 262 species. In 1815, he discovered the bird Bonelli's Warbler
Bonelli's Warbler
Bonelli's Warbler can refer to one of two bird species, formerly regarded as conspecific:* Western Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli* Eastern Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus orientalis...
(Phylloscopus bonelli), named by Louis Vieillot in 1819. In the same year, he discovered Bonelli's Eagle
Bonelli's Eagle
The Bonelli's Eagle is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae.It breeds in southern Europe, Africa both north and south of the Sahara Desert and across southern Asia to Indonesia...
(Hieraaetus fasciatus) that was likewise named by Vieillot in 1822.
The successor of Bonelli at the Turin Museum was Carlo Giuseppe Gené.
Achievements
Bonelli is most notable for his work on birds and on the beetle family Carabidae. Since he was an early worker on Coleoptera many of his generaGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
later became Families
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, sub families and tribes
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
. Also many of his genera survive.
Instances are the:
- Omophroninae; Pseudomorphinae; Brachininae; Trechinae; HarpalinaeHarpalinaeHarpalinae is a huge subfamily of ground beetles. Among the more than 20,000 described species in this clade are the sun beetles and the violin beetles . The Harpalinae contain the most apomorphic ground beetles, displaying a wide range of forms and behaviors...
; Pseudomorphinae; Siagoninae; Pterostichinae and Scaritinae - Subfamilies - DromiidaeDromiidaeDromiidae is a family of crabs, often referred to as sponge crabs. They are small or medium-sized crabs which get their name from the ability to shape a living sponge into a portable shelter for themselves. A sponge crab cuts out a fragment from a sponge and trims it to its own shape using its claws...
1810 Family - Pterostichini Tribe
Works
- Catalogue des Oiseaux du Piemont (1811).
- Observations Entomologique. Première partie. Mém. Acad. Sci. Turin 18: 21-78, Tabula Synoptica (1810).
- Observations entomologiques. Deuxieme partie. Mém. Acad. Sci. Turin 20: 433-484 (1813)
The last two are founding works of entomology, introducing many new taxa.
Source
- Achille Casale and Pier Mauro Giachino "Franco Andrea Bonelli (1784-1830), an Entomologist in Turin at the Beginning of the XIX century", in Proceedings of a Symposium (28 August, 1996, Florence, Italy). Phylogeny and Classification of Caraboidea. XX International Congress of Entomology, Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali Torino (1998).