Johann Christian Fabricius

1745-1808

Danish Entomologist and Economist

Johann Christian Fabricius was one of the most distinguished entomologists of the eighteenth century and an outstanding theoretical natural scientist. His research greatly increased and organized knowledge about insects as a class of animals. Fabricius established his scientific reputation in the field of descriptive taxonomy as the founder of a system of insect classification. Instead of basing his system on the characteristic of insect wings, he focused his attention on the structure of the organs of the mouth. His attempts to study the effect of the environment on the development of insect species led some scholars to call him the "Father of Lamarckism."

Johann Christian Fabricius was born in Tondern, Denmark. He was the son of a physician. Fabricius was educated in Altona and Copenhagen. After completing his studies, he spent two years with the great taxonomist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) in Uppsala. Although Fabricius considered himself a pupil of Linnaeus, the two formed a lifelong friendship based on mutual respect and admiration.

After returning to Denmark, Fabricius published several important works on entomology. Although he applied Linnaeus's methods to insects, Fabricius was more independent than most of Linnaeus's other disciples. Nevertheless, the titles of his works correspond to those of his mentor and the Linnaean system generally guided his own observations. Fabricius was highly respected in the scientific community. Although his most important work was in entomology, he was professor of natural science and economics at the University of Copenhagen before accepting an appointment in 1775 as a professor at Kiel, Germany. Fabricius spent much of his time abroad and traveled over much of Europe.

In creating a system of insect classification, Fabricius was concerned with distinguishing between artificial and natural systems. He thought that the characteristics of the various structures of the mouth would provide the best approach to a natural system of taxonomy. Fabricius believed that the genus and the species were the major categories of entomological systematics. Genera could be regarded as natural combinations of related species, but he thought that "classes" and "orders" were artificial constructs. His objective was to create a system based on naturally defined insect genera. Even though he considered the task of creating a natural system more important and challenging than describing individual species, he carried out a prodigious amount of descriptive work. Fabricius is credited with naming and describing about 10,000 insects.

Despite his emphasis on insect systematics, Fabricius was interested in broader biological and philosophical problems, including evolution. Fabricius thought that humans might have originated from the great apes. In reflecting on the great diversity of existing species, he suggested that new species might come into existence through such means as hybridization, structural modification, and adaptation to the environment.

LOIS N. MAGNER