Wilhelm von Winthem
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm von Winthem was a naturalist
and entomologist from Hamburg
, Germany
, who was chiefly interested in Diptera
and Hymenoptera
. Well placed in a port city, von Winthem built a world collection.
Winthem belonged to a long-established family of Hamburg merchants. A successful merchant himself he became very wealthy. He purchased huge numbers of insects, concentrating on Diptera
, Hymenoptera
and Hemiptera
. Johann Wilhelm Meigen
worked on his Europe
an Diptera and he purchased the collection of Christian Rudolph Wilhelm Wiedemann
(who had borrowed specimens from him including flies from Brazil), and many others. Thus he built the most important Diptera collection of the age.
In 1852 his collection was sold to the k.k.Hoffmuseum in Vienna
. Kept separately until at least 1880 it was finally incorporated into the main Diptera collections of the Naturhistorisches Museum
. Von Winthem's specimens are identified with a printed label "coll.Winthem", usually with the species
name added and, appropriately, with Wiedemann's or Meigen's handwritten labels.
"For almost all the Diptera described in the present paper we are indebted to Wilhelm von Winthem of Hamburg, a young man who is collecting native and exotic insects with unusual enthusiasm and who has already made many welcome discoveries."
Wiedemann Brasilianische Zweiflügler
1819, Zoologisches Magazin (Kiel) 1 (3): 40-56
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and entomologist from Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, who was chiefly interested in Diptera
Diptera
Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...
and 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...
. Well placed in a port city, von Winthem built a world collection.
Winthem belonged to a long-established family of Hamburg merchants. A successful merchant himself he became very wealthy. He purchased huge numbers of insects, concentrating on Diptera
Diptera
Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...
, 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...
and Hemiptera
Hemiptera
Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...
. Johann Wilhelm Meigen
Johann Wilhelm Meigen
Johann Wilhelm Meigen was a German entomologist famous for his pioneering work on Diptera.-Early years:Meigen was born in Solingen, the fifth of eight children of Johann Clemens Meigen and Sibylla Margaretha Bick. His parents, though not poor, were not wealthy either. The ran a small shop in...
worked on his Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an Diptera and he purchased the collection of Christian Rudolph Wilhelm Wiedemann
Christian Rudolph Wilhelm Wiedemann
Christian Rudolph Wilhelm Wiedemann , was a German physician, historian, naturalist and entomologist...
(who had borrowed specimens from him including flies from Brazil), and many others. Thus he built the most important Diptera collection of the age.
In 1852 his collection was sold to the k.k.Hoffmuseum in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Kept separately until at least 1880 it was finally incorporated into the main Diptera collections of the Naturhistorisches Museum
Naturhistorisches Museum
The Naturhistorisches Museum Wien or NHMW is a large museum located in Vienna, Austria.The collections displayed cover , and the museum has a website providing an overview as a video virtual tour....
. Von Winthem's specimens are identified with a printed label "coll.Winthem", usually with the species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
name added and, appropriately, with Wiedemann's or Meigen's handwritten labels.
"For almost all the Diptera described in the present paper we are indebted to Wilhelm von Winthem of Hamburg, a young man who is collecting native and exotic insects with unusual enthusiasm and who has already made many welcome discoveries."
Wiedemann Brasilianische Zweiflügler
1819, Zoologisches Magazin (Kiel) 1 (3): 40-56