Achille Guenée

Achille Guenée (1 January 1809 - December 30, 1880) was a French lawyer and entomologist.

Biography

Achille Guenée was born in Chartres and died in Châteaudun.

He was educated in Chartres, where he showed a very early interest in butterflies and was encouraged and taught by François de Villiers (1790-1847). He went to study law in Paris, then entered the “Bareau”. After the death of his only son, he lived at Châteaudun in Chatelliers. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Châteaudun was burned by the Prussians but Guénée’s collections remained intact.

He was the author of 63 publications, some with Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel (1774-1846). He notably wrote Species des nocturnes (Night Species in English) (six volumes, 1852-1857) forming parts of the Suites à Buffon. This work of almost 1,300 pages treats Noctuidae of the world. Also co-author, with Jean Baptiste Boisduval, of Histoire naturelle des Insectes. Species général des Lépidoptères (vols 5–10, 1836-57).

He was a founding member 1832 of the Société Entomologique de France, (1832) and was president in 1848 then honorary member in 1874.

References

• Edward Oliver Essig (1931). In History of Entomology. Mac Millan (New York): vii + 1029 p.
• Jean Gouillard (2004). History of the French entomologists, 1750–1950. Entirely re-examined and increased edition. Boubée (Paris): 287 p.
• Jean Lhoste (1987). French Entomologists. 1750–1950. INRA Editions: 351 p.

Translated from French Wikipedia