Jean-Baptiste Robineau-Desvoidy

Jean-Baptiste Robineau-Desvoidy

André Jean Baptiste Robineau-Desvoidy (1 January 1799, Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye – 25 June 1857, Paris) was a French physician and entomologist specialising in the study of Diptera (flies) and to some extent of the Coleoptera (beetles).

Because he worked on difficult to identify flies (specifically the Schizophora), the existing descriptions of which were poor, and because he had few contacts, many of the new species he described were already named. Also he was over reliant on colour and pattern as characters, and this led to his improperly defining species. He also worked on too many species. Much later criticism ensued but it must be remembered that he was an early worker and, in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, French scientists were unduly criticised for nationalistic reasons. Very many of his generic and species names survive. In all these respects, as well as his genuine love of entomology and boundless enthusiasm, Robineau-Desvoidy is reminiscent of the English entomologist Francis Walker.

(Selected)

The collection of Robineau-Desvoidy was largely destroyed. Some remains in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris and there are some specimens from it in the Hope Department of Entomology of the University Museum, Oxford

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