Erich Wasmann (29 May 1859 in

Merano Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier V ...

− 27 February 1931 in Valkenburg,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n (born in

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

)

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

, specializing in

ants Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,00 ...

and

termites Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

, and

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest. He described the phenomenon known as

Wasmannian mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry f ...

and became a prominent Catholic popularizer of science, grounded in Christian beliefs, around 1900. Wasmann was a supporter of

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

, although he did not accept the productivity of

natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Charle ...

, the evolution of humans from other animals, or universal common descent of all life. Rather, he believed that common ancestry was restricted to what he called "natural species" which were generally larger groups than

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

(which he called "systematic species"),

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

, or even

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...

. His natural species he identified with the "paleontological species" of

Melchior Neumayr Melchior Neumayr (24 October 1845 in Munich – 29 January 1890) was an Austrian palaeontologist and the son of Max von Neumayr, a Bavarian Minister of State. He was educated at the University of Munich, and completed his studies at Heidelberg ...

. Wasmann's reflections on evolution, while viewed with some concern by his Jesuit superiors, were popular among Catholics; he was invited to write an article on evolution for the American ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

''. He was involved in a long-running dispute with

Ernst Haeckel Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (; 16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German zoologist, naturalist, eugenicist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist and artist. He discovered, described and named thousands of new sp ...

over

Monism Monism attributes oneness or singleness (Greek: μόνος) to a concept e.g., existence. Various kinds of monism can be distinguished: * Priority monism states that all existing things go back to a source that is distinct from them; e.g., i ...

, and was friends with Eberhard Dennert and

Johannes Reinke Johannes Reinke (February 3, 1849 – February 25, 1931) was a German botanist and philosopher who was a native of Ziethen, Lauenburg. He is remembered for his research of benthic marine algae. Academic background Reinke studied botany with h ...

, both of Protestant faith, who also opposed Haeckel and supported the Kepler Association. His father was the painter Friedrich Wasmann.

Partial bibliography

* ''Die hl. eiligeHildegard von Bingen als Naturforscherin'' t. Hildegard of Bingen as Natural Scientist Kempten: J. Kösel, 1914. * ''Die moderne Biologie und die Entwicklungstheorie'', 2nd edition, Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, 1904 * ''Modern Biology and the Theory of Evolution'', Translated from the 3d German of the preceding, ed. by A. M. Buchanan. London, K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., ltd., 1910. * ''Vergleichende Studien über das Seelenleben der Ameisen und der höhern Thiere'', Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, 1898. * ''Comparative Studies in the Psychology of Ants and of Higher Animals''. Authorized English version of the 2d German ed. of the preceding. St. Louis, Mo. Freiburg (Baden), B. Herder. 190''5.'' * ''Instinct und Intelligenz im Thierreich: Ein kritischer Beitrag zur modernen Thierpsychologie''. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, 1897. * ''Instinct and Intelligence in the Animal Kingdom. A Critical Contribution to Modern Animal Psychology,'' by Eric Wasmann, S.J. Authorized translation of the 2d and enl. ed. of the preceding. St. Louis, Mo., B. Herder, 1903. * ''Der christliche Monismus''. * ''Christian Monism''; meditations on Christian truths in the language of modern thought. / Authorized translation of the preceding with an introduction by Rev. Spencer Jones. St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1923. * The Berlin discussion of the problem of evolution; Full Report of the Lectures Given in February, 1907, and of the Evening Discussion. London, K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & co., ltd., 1909.

Collection

Wasmann's collection of Formicidae, Isoptera, and

myrmecophile Myrmecophily ( , ) is the term applied to positive interspecies associations between ants and a variety of other organisms, such as plants, other arthropods, and fungi. Myrmecophily refers to mutualistic associations with ants, though in its m ...

and termitophile

Coleoptera Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

(especially

Staphylinidae The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With roughly 63,000 species in thousands of genera, the ...

) is in the

Maastricht Natural History Museum Maastricht Natural History Museum (Dutch: ''Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht'') is a museum of natural history in Maastricht, Netherlands. The museum is located in a former monastery called ''Grauwzustersklooster'' (English: ''Monastery of the ...

Namesakes

From 1936 to 1994, a biological journal variously called ''The Wasmann Club Collector'', ''The Wasmann Collector'' or ''The Wasmann Journal of Biology'' was published by the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...

with notable editors that included

Edward L. Kessel Edward Luther Kessel (April 27, 1904 – September 30, 1997) was an American biologist known for his work as an entomologist and writings to reconcile science and religion. Early life and education Kessel was born on 27 April 1904 in Osbor ...

and Robert T. Orr.

References

External links

BDH
Digitised ''Modern biology and the theory of evolution''

1859 births 1931 deaths Austrian entomologists 19th-century Austrian Jesuits Theistic evolutionists Jesuit scientists 20th-century Austrian Jesuits {{entomologist-stub