Adam Giede Böving (July 31, 1869 – March 16, 1957) was a Danish-American entomologist and

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

. He was a specialist in the study of the larvae of the order Coleoptera and the author of a series of descriptions on their early stages of development.

Biography

Adam Böving was born at

Sæby Sæby () is a town and seaport located on the east coast of the historical region of Vendsyssel in the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. The town is located in Frederikshavn municipality in Region Nordjylland. It has a population of 8,838 ...

Vendsyssel Vendsyssel () is the northernmost traditional district of Denmark and of Jutland. Being divided from mainland Jutland by the Limfjord, it is technically a part of the North Jutlandic Island, but the name often used informally for the entire island. ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. He was the eldest child of Niels Orten Mathias Bøving (1838-1923) and Louise Augustine Ottilia (Gjede) Bøving (1838-99. His father was a school headmaster and later church vicar. After matriculation from

Aalborg University Aalborg University (AAU) is a Danish public university with campuses in Aalborg, Esbjerg, and Copenhagen founded in 1974. The university awards bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and PhD degrees in a wide variety of subjects within humanitie ...

, he continued his studies of

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...

where he earned his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in 1888. From 1902 to 1903 he worked as assistant curator of entomology in the

University of Copenhagen Zoological Museum The Copenhagen Zoological Museum ( Danish: ''Zoologisk Museum'') is a part of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, which is affiliated with the University of Copenhagen. History The Zoological Museum It is among the world's oldest natural his ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. He immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1913 to become a member of the Bureau of Entomology, a division of

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

(USDA). While working there he became a specialist in the larvae of Coleoptera. From 1939 he was a research associate of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, and retired from USDA in 1945. He wrote and illustrated a number of books principally describing early stages of Coleoptera development. He became an honorary member of the Entomological Society of America in 1939 and a member of the

Academy of Sciences An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unit ...

in 1948. He was president 1923-24 of the

Entomological Society of Washington The Entomological Society of Washington was organized on February 29, 1884 at a meeting called by three entomologists employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Charles Valentine Riley, Eugene Amandus Schwarz, and Leland Ossian Howard, in Ril ...

and from 1924 to 1932 served as vice president of the Washington Academy of Science.

Selected works

*''Natural History of the Larvae of Donaciinae'' (1910) *''Coleoptera Papers'' (1913) *''Larvae of North American Beetles of the Family Cleridae '' (1920) with A. B. Champlain *''Biology of Embaphion Muricatum'' (1921) with Joseph Sanford Wade *''The Pacific Flathead Borer'' (1929) with H. E. Burke *''Beetle Larvae of the Subfamily Galerucinae'' (1929) *''An Illustrated Synopsis of the Principal Larval Forms of the Order Coleoptera'' (1931) with Frank C. Craighead, Sr.

References

External links

''Adam Giede Boving Papers, 1908-1945'' (Smithsonian Institution Archives)
Danish entomologists 1869 births 1957 deaths Coleopterists Smithsonian Institution people Danish emigrants to the United States American entomologists People from Frederikshavn Municipality {{Smithsonian-stub