Franz Josef Maria Werner (15 August 1867 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

– 28 February 1939 in Vienna) was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

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 ...

and

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

. Specializing as a

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...

and entomologist, Werner described numerous species and other taxa of frogs, snakes, insects, and other organisms. His father introduced him at age six to reptiles and amphibians. A brilliant student, he corresponded often with George Albert Boulenger (1858–1937) and

Oskar Boettger Oskar Boettger (german: Böttger; 31 March 1844 – 25 September 1910) was a German zoologist who was a native of Frankfurt am Main. He was an uncle of the noted malacologist Caesar Rudolf Boettger (1888–1976). From 1863 to 1866 he studied at ...

(1844–1910) who encouraged his studies with these animals. Werner obtained his doctorate in Vienna in 1890 and then after spending a year in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

, began to teach at the Vienna Institute of Zoology. In 1919, he became tenured as a professor, maintaining this title until his retirement in 1933. Although working close to the Vienna Natural History Museum, he could not use their herpetological collections, after the death of its director, Franz Steindachner (1834–1919), who did not like Werner, and had barred him from accessing the collections. Werner succeeded in constituting an immense personal collection, and published more than 550 publications principally on herpetology. He named many new species of reptiles, amphibians, and

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chiti ...

s, of which he specialized in orthopterans and

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always en ...

s. He published in 1931, ''Dritte Klasse der Craniota: dritte und zugleich letzte Klasse der Ichthyopsida: Amphibia, Lurche: allgemeine Einleitung in said Naturgeschichte der Amphibia.'' His book, ''Amphibien und Reptilien'' (1910), contributed to the popularization of terraphilia, or raising pet reptiles and amphibians in

terraria ''Terraria'' is an action-adventure sandbox game developed by Re-Logic. The game was first released for Windows on May 16, 2011, and has since been ported to several other platforms. The game features exploration, crafting, building, painting ...

. ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': Franz Werner should not be confused with Israeli herpetologist Yehudah L. Werner (born 1931).

List of taxa described by Franz Werner

higher order taxa

* Family:

Leptodactylidae The southern frogs form the Leptodactylidae, a name that comes from Greek meaning a bird or other animal having slender toes. They are a diverse family of frogs that most likely diverged from other hyloids during the Cretaceous. The family has u ...

(Werner, 1896) (49 genera of Southern frogs or tropical frogs) * Subfamily: Leptodactylinae (Werner, 1896) * Genus: Astylosternus (Werner, 1898)

Species

Fishes

* '' Himantura schmardae'' (Werner, 1904) (Chupare Stingray) * ''

Neobola nilotica ''Neobola nilotica'' is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in the White Nile River The White Nile ( ar, النيل الأبيض ') is a river in Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the other b ...

'' Werner, 1919

Amphibians

=Frogs and Toads

= * Turkish Frog, '' Rana holtzi'' (Werner, 1898) * '' Rana leporipes'' (Werner, 1930) * Nikkō Frog, ''

Rana ornativentris The montane brown frog or Nikkō frog (''Rana ornativentris'') is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to Japan. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, arable land ...

Wolterstorffina parvipalmata ''Wolterstorffina parvipalmata'' is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found on the western and southern slopes of the Cameroon Range (including Mount Cameroon) and Yaoundé Hills in Cameroon, and on the Obudu Plateau in eastern Ni ...

'' (Werner, 1898) * '' Telmatobius verrucosus'' (Werner, 1899) * '' Cycloramphus asper'' (Werner, 1899) * '' Cycloramphus bolitoglossus'' (Werner, 1897) * '' Fejervarya schlueteri'' (Werner, 1893) * '' Hypsiboas pellucens'' (Werner, 1901) * '' Osteocephalus verruciger'' (Werner, 1901) * '' Scinax dolloi'' (Werner, 1903) * '' Sphaenorhynchus platycephalus'' (Werner, 1894) * '' Litoria jeudii'' (Werner, 1901) * '' Afrixalus quadrivittatus'' (Werner, 1908) * Incertae sedis: '' Hyperolius papyri'' (Werner, 1908) * ''

Hyperolius balfouri ''Hyperolius balfouri'' is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, southwestern Ethiopia, Uganda, and western Kenya. The specifi ...

'' (Werner, 1908) * '' Neobatrachus pelobatoides'' (Werner, 1914) * '' Oreophryne brachypus'' (Werner, 1898) * '' Oreophryne wolterstorffi'' (Werner, 1901) * '' Plethodontohyla angulifera'' (Werner, 1903) * '' Phrynomantis annectens'' (Werner, 1910) * '' Ptychadena aequiplicata'' (Werner, 1898) * '' Ptychadena schillukorum'' (Werner, 1908) * Incertae Sedis: '' Rana temporaria var. nigromaculata'' (Werner, 1897) * '' Huia leporipes'' (Werner, 1930) * '' Rana holtzi'' (Werner, 1898) * ''

'' (Werner, 1903) * '' Buergeria pollicaris'' (Werner, 1914)

=Salamanders

= * '' Bolitoglossa dofleini'' (Werner, 1903) * '' Bolitoglossa palmata'' (Werner, 1897)

=Caecilians

= * ''

Crotaphatrema bornmuelleri ''Crotaphatrema bornmuelleri'' is a species of caecilian in the family Scolecomorphidae. It is endemic to Cameroon. The specific name ''bornmuelleri'' honours Joseph Friedrich Nicolaus Bornmüller, a German botanist. Common names Bornmuller's c ...

'' (Werner, 1899)

Reptiles

=Snakes

= * ''

Vipera bornmuelleri The Lebanon viper (''Montivipera bornmuelleri''), also known as Bornmueller's viper, Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G (2003). ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. ...

'' (Werner, 1898) * ''

Daboia palaestinae ''Daboia palaestinae'', also known as the Palestine viper,Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. ''True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers.'' Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. .Mehrtens JM. 1987. ''Living ...

'' (Werner, 1938) * '' Bothrops oligolepis'' (Werner, 1901) * ''

Atheris ceratophora :''Common names: Usambara bush viper,Spawls S, Branch B. 1995. The Dangerous Snakes of Africa. Ralph Curtis Books. Dubai: Oriental Press. 192 pp. . horned bush viper, eyelash bush viper, more.'' ''Atheris ceratophora'' is a venomous viper speci ...

'' (Werner, 1895) * '' Macrovipera schweizeri'' (Werner, 1935) * '' Paranaja multifasciata'' (Werner, 1902) * '' Elaphe persica'' (Werner, 1913) * '' Elapsoidea laticincta'' (Werner, 1919) * '' Coluber andreanus'' (Werner, 1917) * '' Lampropeltis triangulum arcifera'' (Werner, 1903) * '' Leptotyphlops rubrolineatus'' (Werner, 1901) * ''

Micrurus diastema alienus ''Micrurus'' is a genus of Venomous snake, venomous coral snakes of the Family (biology), family Elapidae. Geographic range Species in the genus ''Micrurus'' are Endemism, endemic to the Americas. Species The following 83 species are recognized ...

'' (Werner, 1903) * ''

Micrurus diastema sapperi ''Micrurus'' is a genus of Venomous snake, venomous coral snakes of the Family (biology), family Elapidae. Geographic range Species in the genus ''Micrurus'' are Endemism, endemic to the Americas. Species The following 83 species are recognized ...

'' (Werner, 1903) * '' Micrurus frontifasciatus'' (Werner, 1927) * '' Micrurus lemniscatus frontifasciatus'' (Werner, 1927) * '' Micrurus multifasciatus hertwigi'' (Werner, 1897) * '' Micrurus steindachneri steindachneri'' (Werner, 1901) * '' Morelia spilota macrospila'' (Werner, 1910) * '' Chrysopelea ornata ornatissima'' (Werner, 1925)

=Lizards

= * Werner's Leaf-toed Gecko, '' Asaccus elisae'' * Ebner's Skink, '' Chalcides ebneri'' ( Werner, 1931) * '' Gastropholis prasina'' ( Werner, 1904)

=Amphibaenians

= * '' Monopeltis leonhardi''

Insects

* '' Creobroter fasciatus'' (Werner, 1927) (a west Asian mantid) * '' Hebardiella karnyi'' (Werner, 1924) (a west Asian mantid) * '' Hebardiella rehni'' (Werner, 1924) (a west Asian mantid)

Taxa named in honor of Franz Werner

*'' Achalinus werneri'' (snake species)Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Werner, F.", p. 282). *'' Aparallactus werneri'' (snake species) *'' Arthroseps werneri'' (lizard species) = '' Ecpleopus gaudichaudii'' *'' Atractus werneri'' (snake species) *'' Chamaelycus werneri'' (snake species) *'' Clarias werneri'' Boulenger, 1906 Walking Catfish from Africa. *'' Dendropsophus werneri'' (frog species) *'' Dipsadoboa werneri'' (snake species) *'' Firmicus werneri'' (spider species) *'' Iguanognathus werneri'' (snake species) *'' Olios werneri'' (spider species) *'' Pachydactylus werneri'' (gecko species) *'' Stenaelurillus werneri'' (spider species) *'' Trioceros werneri'' (chameleon species) *''

Werneria ''Werneria'', also known as the torrent toads or smalltongue toads, is a small genus of "true toads", family Bufonidae. They are found in western Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Cameroon), with the greatest species richness in th ...

'' (genus of toads) *'' Xenodon werneri'' (snake species)

References

External links

Amphibian Species of the World
from the American Museum of Natural History. {{DEFAULTSORT:Werner, Franz Austrian entomologists Austrian herpetologists 1867 births 1939 deaths Scientists from Vienna