SCHöNHERR, CARL JOHAN

(b. Stockholm, Sweden, 10 June 1772; d. Sparresäter, near Skara, Sweden, 28 March 1848)

entomology.

Schönherr was completely self-taught. From his father he inherited a silk factory in Stockholm, but after a few years he gave it up to settle on his estate, Sparresäter. There he was in convenient proximity to his entomological teacher, Leonhard Gyllenhaal. and their close collaboration was important.

At the age of twelve Schönherr began an insect collection, which soon developed into an ardent hobby; and he taught himself Latin in order to understand entomological literature. He was an extremely systematic person, who wanted order and reason in everything, including entomological synonyms and nomenclature. He was obliged to undertake these topics in order to clear up the chaos that long held sway in the field, and between 1806 and 1817 he published Synonymia insectorum, concerning beetles. This series was continued later (1833–1845) under the same title with another work on the weevils, Curculionidae. The work ran to eight volumes.

Schönherr intended to work on the whole insect class, but like other similar projects, the result was the publication of an intensive and penetrating treatment of a single group: the beetles. Schönherr was especially interested in the large family of weevils, and his exemplary descriptions of the genera, and the analyses of synonyms and explanations of nomenclature have remained of lasting value. Besides Gyllenhaal, he also collaborated with C. H. Boheman and other experts.

Schönherr’s private library was one of the greatest entomological book collections of his time and was also an unusually beautiful collection (now preserved in the library of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences). His insect collection was as rich: it is said to have included some 13,500 species in about 37,700 specimens. By his will, the collections were transferred to the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet in Stockholm.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Schönherr’s works are Synonymia insectorum oder Versuch einer Synonymie aller bisher bekannten Insecten nach Fabricius Syst. Eleutheratorum geordnet, mitBerichtigungen und Anmerkungen, wie auch Beschreibungen neuer Arten und illuminirten Kupfern, 3 vols. and appendix (Stockholm-Skara, 1806–1817); “Entomologiska Anmäkningar och beskrifningar på några fö Svenska Faunan nya Insekter,” in Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens handlingar, 30 (1809), 48–58; “Pulex segins, ny Svensk species,” ibid., 31 (1811), 98–102; Curculionidum dispositio methodica cum generum characteribus, descriptionibus atque observationibus variis, seu prodromus ad Synonymiae insectorum Partem IV (Leipzig, 1826): and Synonymia insectorum oder Versuch einer Synonymie aller von mir bisher bekannten Insecten, mit Berichtigungen und Anmerkungen, wie auch mit Beschreibung neuer Arten, 8 vols. (Paris, 1833–1845).

Bengt-Olof Landin