Edmond de Sélys Longchamps

Baron Michel Edmond de Selys - Longchamps ( born May 25, 1813 in Paris, † December 11, 1900 in Liège ) was a Belgian politician and entomologist. The frequently found spelling " Sélys - Longchamps " of his name (ie, with accent aigu ) is incorrect. Selys - Longchamps even used the old-established in Liege family name " Selys " always without an accent, even in the acceptable, commonly used short form.

Selys - Longchamps is considered one of the most important researchers in the field of dragonflies. His wealth enabled him to amass one of the largest collections of Neuroptera and describe. Most of his collection is now in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels.

Selys - Longchamps was a wealthy Belgian aristocrat. He was educated at home and never attended a university. Nevertheless, he became one of the leading researchers in the field of Odonata (worldwide), Neuroptera (worldwide) and Orthoptera ( mainly Europe ). He was also a noted ornithologist. As representatives of some political groups, he was member of the Council for 1846 Waremme in the Belgian parliament. In 1855 he became a member of the Belgian Senate. Between 1880 and 1884 he was elected as its president.

His early interest in birds shows a book with pictures of Belgian species he has painted at the age of 16 years. Ornithology remained a life-long interest of him and he created in Waremme a collection of birds, which included both European and exotic species such as the then already extinct Great Auk. He was also interested in mammals. At the age of 18 he wrote his first work, a list of the insects of Liege. In 1837 he published a list of the Odonata and Lepidoptera of Belgium.

From that point on, he created almost constantly publications on Odonata. These were mostly monographs, but also some synopses were among them. The only family he devoted no synopsis was that of Libellulidae.

In 1845 he met Hermann August Hagen and began this work, what then 1850 in the concluding major European work " Revue des Odonates " resulted. Hagen also supported Selys ' work on some synopses and monographs. This meant that Selys is mentioned in the catalog of William Forsell Kirby as describer of some species, although this was in fact Hagen. However Selys is still the actual author of over 1,000 species descriptions.

Works

Odonata (selection)

Credentials

• WF Kirby: A synonymic catalog of Neuroptera Odonata, or dragonflies. Gurney and Jackson, London, 1890.
• Rudolf Blasius, Michel Edmond, Baron de Selys - Longchamps, Journal of Ornithology, Volume 49, Number 3, July 1901, page 361-381 Complete article, freely accessible

• President of the Senate (Belgium )
• Senator (Belgium )
• Entomologist
• Odonatologe
• Ornithologist
• Born in 1813
• Died 1900
• Man