Jean Risbec (born 1895, died 1964) was a French zoologist who specialised in studying the insects and molluscs of

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, as well as being a taxonomist of the parasitic

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order (biology), order of insects, comprising the sawfly, sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are Par ...

Early years

Little is recorded about Risbec's early life but from 1921 to 1928 he was a teacher of

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

at the Lycée Lapeyrouse in Nouméa where he carried out studies of

Nudibranchs Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to match, ...

in his spare time. As a result of these studies he was awarded a doctorate from the Sorbonne in Paris in 1928. One of his lesser known works was a short travel memoir which he wrote on the ship returning him to France from New Caledonia to collect his doctorate in 1928 ''Impressions de Nouvelle-Calédonie'' which was published in ''Bulletin de l’Agence Générale Coloniale Melun'' volume 21 on pages 399-479. This book captures the colonial life in Nouméa at a time before there were even sewers and roads and most travel was conducted on horseback.

Career

He returned to New Caledonia as an agricultural entomologist and was resident in Nouméa until the mid 1930s, continuing to study the anatomy and biology of coastal molluscs and publishing over 30 papers. It was during this time that Risbec's first wife was killed in a horse riding accident in the

New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...

. He soon left New Caledonia and despite his desire to return he was given an appointment in

French Sudan French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

and

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

in 1937, remarrying in 1939. He never returned to New Caledonia. In Africa he studied the parasitic insects of crops and their parasites, especially the

Chalcidoidea Chalcid wasps (, , for their metallic colour) are insects within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, part of the order Hymenoptera. The superfamily contains some 22,500 known species, and an estimated total diversity of more than 500,000 species, me ...

, returning to France in 1950. From 1950-1958 he published a total of 21 articles and books on the Hymenoptera of

French West Africa French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...

and Madagascar, including the 500 pages of ''La faune entomologique des cultures au Sénégal et au Soudan français'' published by the ''Gouvernement général de l’A.O.F.'' in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

in 1950. Due to disagreements over taxonomy with another agricultural entomologist, Jean Ghesquière, this book could not be published in France and Risbec had to arrange publication in Africa. In total Risbec published over 60 articles and books. After his return to France in 1950 he was posted to London until 1960.

Awards and honors

A number of species have been named in his honour including the nudibranch '' Rostanga risbeci'' as well as a number of other molluscs and insects. Unfortunately efforts to use the name ''Risbecia'' for a genus of nudibranchs and a genus of Hymenoptera fell foul of the ICZN Rules and are regarded as junior homonyms.

Death

He died in 1964 of a pulmonary

oedema Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Risbec, Jean Hymenopterists 20th-century French zoologists French malacologists French entomologists 1895 births 1964 deaths