Rudolf Emil Mell (1878 in

Gera Gera is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the ''Thüringer Städtekette'', an almost straight string of cit ...

, Thuringia – 1970 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

) was a German

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, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

and

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 ...

who specialised in

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

especially

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths (Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, bu ...

and the fauna of China. He was the director of the German-Chinese Middle School at Canton (

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

) for some time. His collection of Sphingidae is held by the

Carnegie Museum of Natural History The Carnegie Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as CMNH) is a natural history museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896. Housing some 22 millio ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. It was purchased by

Benjamin Preston Clark Benjamin Preston Clark (October 8, 1860, in West Roxbury – January 11, 1939, in Philadelphia), known to friends as "Preston", was an American entomologist who specialized in Lepidoptera, especially Sphingidae. He also operated a mercantile bu ...

Taxa described by Mell (selected)

*'' Actias chapae'' (Sphingidae) *''

Dahira hoenei ''Dahira hoenei'' is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Rudolf Mell in 1937. It is known from Shaanxi and Sichuan in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the worl ...

'' (Sphingidae) *'' Rhodambulyx davidi'' (Sphingidae) *''

Cypa uniformis ''Cypa uniformis'' is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from China, north-western India and Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre ...

'' (Sphingidae) *'' Catocala pataloides'' (Erebidae) *'' Catocala dejeani'' (Erebidae) *''

Teinopalpus aureus ''Teinopalpus aureus'', the golden Kaiser-i-Hind, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in China and possibly Vietnam. Considered an endangered species threatened by the wildlife trade, it is protected by Chinese law. ...

'' (Papilionidae) *'' Mirina fenzeli'' (Endromidae)

Works

(Partial list) *Mell, Rudolf Emil, 1912 Eiablagen bei Insekten. ''Naturw. Wschr''. 27(11), pp. *Mell, R.E. 1922. Neue südchinesische Lepidoptera. ''Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschriftt'' 1922: 113–129. *Mell, R.E. 1922 Beiträge zur Fauna sinica ''Biologie und systematik der südschinesischen sphingiden, zugleich ein versuch einer biologie tropischer lepidopteren überhaupt'' Berlin, R. Friedländer & soh
online
*Mell, Rudolf 1922 Beiträge zur Fauna Sinica. i. Die Vertebraten Südchinas; Feldlisten und Feldnoten der Säuger, Vögel, Reptilien, Batrachier. ''Archiv für Naturgeschichte'' 88 (10): 1-134 *Mell, 1923 Noch unbeschriebene Lepidopteren aus Südchina (2) ''Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift'' 1923 (2) : 153-160 *Mell R. 1930. Beiträge zur Fauna sinica. V. Die Brahmaeiden und Eupterotiden Chinas. ''Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift'' 1929(5):337–494, pls. 3–12. *Mell, R., 1930 Beiträge zur Lurch- und Kriechtierfauna Kwangsi's. ''S. Ber. naturf. Freunde'' 1929, pp. 310–332 *Mell,R. 1931. List of Chinese snakes. ''Lingnan Sci. Jour''., Canton, 8

929 Year 929 ( CMXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * January 16 – Emir Abd-al-Rahman III of Córdoba proclaims himself caliph and create ...

199-219. *Mell, R. 1935. Beiträge zur Fauna sinica. XV. Zur Systematik und Oekologie der Sphingiden und Saturniiden von Chekiang (Samml. Höne). ''Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin'', 20: 337-365. *Mell, Rudolf Emil (

935 Year 935 ( CMXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Arnulf I ("the Bad") of Bavaria invades Italy, crossing through the Upper ...

: Beiträge zur Fauna sinica. XII. Die Euthaliini (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) Süd-und Südostchinas ''Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift'' 1934, pp. 25-251, 1 pl*Mell, R.E. 1937 Beiträge zur Fauna sinica. XIV. Ergänzungen zur Sphingiden-, Brahmaeiden- und Eupterotidenfauna Chinas (Lep.). ''Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift'' 1937(1-2): 1–19. *Mell, R., 1938. Beiträge zur Fauna sinica. XVII. Inventur und ökologisches Material zu einer Biologie der südchinesischen Lepidopteren. ''Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift'' 1938 (2) : 197-345. including Die Papilioniden Südchinas *Mell, Rudolf Emil 1939 Beiträge zur Fauna sinica. XVIII. Noch unbeschriebene chinesische Lepidopteren (V). ''Deut. ent. Zeit''. ris52(3/4), pp. 35-152*Mell, Rudolf Emil, 1943 Inventur und ökologisches Material zu einer Biologie der südchinesischen Pieriden. ''Beiträge zur Fauna sinica'' 21:- *Rudolf Mell,1947 ''Mussestunden am Tropenrande - Ein Biologe erlebt China'' (1947) Condor-Verlag *Mell, Rudolf Emil (1950): Artbildung durch physiologische Differenzierung (chemotaktische Antizipation) in der Gattung '' Rhopalocampta'' Wall. (Lepidopt. Hesperiidae). ''Bonn. zool. Beitr.'' 1, pp. 6-91, 1 pl, 1 fig*Rudolf Mell, 1951 ''Der Seidenspinner'' Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft Geest & Portig, Leipzig *Rudolf Mell, 1955 ''Wochenend am Wendekreis.Begegnungen mit Tieren im Reiche des Drachen'' (Encounters with animals in the Kingdom of the Dragon) Franckh'sche Verlagshandlg., Stuttgart *Mell, R. 1958. Zur Geschichte der ostasiatischen Lepidopteren I. Die Hebing Zentralasiens, das westchinesische Refugium zentralasiatischer Abkömmlinge und die Verbreitungsachse Sikkim/Kashiaberge - Zentralformosa (Achse V). Beiträge zur Fauna sinica XXV. ''Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift'', Berlin (N.F.), 5: 185-213. *Rudolf Mell,1960 ''Bergwaldtiere am Tropenrand'' ountain forest animals at the edge of the tropicsStuttgart Franckh'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung

References

*R. Mell, 1932, ''Hong Kong Naturalist'', 3: 289. *Alberti, B. 1970: ell, R. E.Mitt. Ent. Ges. BRD. 29, S. 3-4 *Anonym 1963: ell, R. E.Mitteilungen der Deutschen Entomologischen Gesellschaft, Berlin 22, S. 4
Der Thüringer Literaturrat

Taxa described by Mell (selected)

Works

References

See also