Wilhelm Dunker, full name Wilhelm Bernhard Rudolph Hadrian Dunker (21 February 1809, Eschwege – 13 March 1885,

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...

) was a German

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

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

(specifically a malacologist). Wilhelm Dunker studied mining and metallurgical engineering in

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

and worked at first as a trainee with the local mining authority. Soon thereafter he was appointed a teacher of mineralogical sciences at the poly-technical school in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

. In 1854 he was appointed professor at the University of Marburg, at which he taught up to his death. Dunker was one of the most important malacologists of his time. He had a very extensive private collection of

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...

s and shells, which he constantly increased by exchange with other collectors (and probably also by purchases). He maintained contacts with his contemporaries

Rudolph Amandus Philippi Rodolfo Amando (or Rudolph Amandus) Philippi (14 September 1808 – 23 July 1904) was a German–Chilean paleontologist and zoologist. Philippi contributed primarily to malacology and paleontology. His grandson, Rodulfo Amando Philippi Bañados ( ...

, Ludwig Karl Georg Pfeiffer, Hugh Cuming and

Johannes Albers Johannes Albers (March 8, 1890 – March 8, 1963) was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and former member of the German Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the onl ...

. By exchange he also acquired numerous original specimens and types from these authors. After his death, Dunker's mollusc collection was purchased by the

Prussian state Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

and placed in the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, under the curatorship of Eduard von Martens, where it remains to this day. Wilhelm Dunker wrote a large number of scientific publications on the systematics of the

Mollusca Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

and described numerous new

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 ...

. In the year 1846, together with Hermann von Meyer, he founded the magazine "Palaeontographica".

Works

Palaeontology *1837. Beiträge zur Kenntnis des norddeutschen Oolithgebildes. *1844. Vorläufige Diagnosen mehrerer neuer Conchylien aus der norddeutschen Liasbildung, die nächstens ausführlicher beschrieben und abgebildet werden. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 1: 186-188. *1846. ''Monographie der norddeutschen Wealdenbildung''. *1846. Ueber die in dem Lias bei Halberstadt vorkommenden Versteinerungen. ''Palaeontographica'', 1: 34-41. *1846. Diagnosen neuer Konchylien aus der norddeutschen Liasbildung. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 3: 168-170. *1847. Ueber die in dem Lias bei Halberstadt vorkommenden Versteinerungen (Fortsetzungen). ''Palaeontographica'', 1: 107-112, 113-125. *1847. Ueber einige neue Versteinerungen aus verschiedenen Gebirgsformationen. ''Palaeontographica'', 1: 128-133. *1848. Ueber die in der Molasse bei Günzburg unfern Ulm vorkommenden Conchylien und Pflanzenreste. ''Palaeontographica'', 1:155-168. *1848. Nachtrag zu der Beschreibung der in dem Lias bei Halberstadt vorkommenden Versteinerungen. ''Palaeontographica'', 1: 176-181. *1848. Ueber einen neuen Asteracanthus aus dem Korallenkalk des Lindener Berges bei Hannover.'' Palaeontographica'', 1: 188-189. *1851. Ueber die im Muschelkalk von Oberschlesien bis jetzt gefundenen Mollusken. ''Palaeontographica'', 1: 283-310. *1851. Ueber Ammonites Gervilianus, d'Orb. aus dem norddeutschen Hilsthone. ''Palaeontographica'', 1: 324-325. *1851. Capulus Hartlebeni, eine neue Schnecke aus dem Muschelkalk der Gegend von Elze im Hannoverschen. ''Palaeontographica'', 1: 334-334. *1851. Ammonites Buchii, v. Alb. und A. parcus, L. v. Buch aus der Cölestinschicht des Muschelkalks von Wogau bei Jena. ''Palaeontographica'', 1: 335-336. *1856. Ueber mehrere Pflanzenreste aus dem Quadersandsteine von Blankenburg. ''Palaeontographica'', 4: 179-183. *1862-1864. Ueber die im plastischen Thone von Grossalmerode vorkommenden Mollusken. ''Palaeontographica'', 9: 86-90. Zoology *1845. Beschreibung einer neuen Cyclas-Art. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 2:20. *1845. Diagnoses molluscorum qourandum novorum, quae ex itinere ad oras Africae occidentalis reportavit cl. G. Tams, Med. Dr. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 2: 163-168. *1846. Briefliche Mittheilung übere einige Bulimus-Arten. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 2: 176-177. *1846. Diagnoses molluscorum novorum, quae ex itinere ad oras Africae occidentalis reportavit Dr. Tams. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 3: 24-28. *1846. Diagnosen neuer Konchylien. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 3: 48. *1846. Diagnoses Molluscorum novorum. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 3: 108-112. *1846. Diagnoses Buccinorum quorundam novorum. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 3: 170-172. *1847. Diagnoses Buccinorum quorundam novorum. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 4: 59-64. *1848. Diagnoses Molluscorum novorum. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 5: 177-186. *1848. Diagnoses specierum novarum generis Planorbis collectionis Cumingianae. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 16: 40-43. *1850. Diagnoses molluscorum quorundam novorum. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 7: 30-32. *1852. Diagnoses molluscorum novorum. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 9: 49-62. *1852. Argonauta gruneri Dunker. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 9: 48. *1852. Aviculacea nova. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 9: 73-80. *1852. Diagnoses Molluscorum novorum. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 9: 125-128, 189-191. *1853. Diagnoses Molluscorum novorum. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 10: 58-60. *1853. Ampullaria eximia. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 10: 93-95. *1853. Diagnoses Molluscorum novorum. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 10: 95-96. *1853. Neue Mytilaceen. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 10: 82-92. *1853. Diagnoses Molluscorum novorum. ''Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie'' 10: 110-112. *1853. Index molluscorum, quae in itinere ad Guineam inferiorem collegit Georgius Tams med. Dr. Theodor Fischer, Cassel. *1853. Limnaeacea nova collectionis Cumingianae. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 21: 53-54. *1855. Bulimus ochsenii Dunker. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 2: 107. *1856. Mollusca nova collectionis Cumingianae. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 24: 254-358. *1856. Mytilacea nova collectionis Cumingianae. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 24: 358-366. *1857. Clausilia lanzai Dunker. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 4: 232. *1858. Einige neue Species der Naiaden. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 5: 225-229. *1858-1870. ''Beschreibung und Abbildung neuer oder wenig bekannter Meeres-Conchylien, ser. Novitates conchologicae'' (Dunker, W. ed.), vol. 2 Mollusca marina (Dunker, W. ed.). Theodor Fischer, Cassel *1859. Neue japanische Mollusken. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 6: 221-240. *1859. Laimodonta pfeifferi Dunker. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 6: 201-202. *1861. Beschreibung einiger von Herrn Dr. v. Hochstetter auf Neuseeland gesammelten Süsswasser-Mollusken. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 8: 150-154. *1861. ''Mollusca Japonica''. Schweitzerbart, Stuttgart. *1861. Beschreibung neuer Mollusken. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 8: 35-45. *1861. Solenacea nova collectionis Cumingianae. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 29: 418-427. *1862. Zwei neue Physen von Hochstetter entdeckt. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 9: 150-151. *1862. Species nonnullae Bursarum vel Ranellarum collectionis Cumingianae. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 30: 238-240. *1863. Eine neue Voluta. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 10: 145. *1864. Fünf neue Mollusken. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 11: 99-102. *1864. Eine neue Bulimus. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 11: 156. *1866. Bericht über die von der Novara-Expedition mitgebrachten Mollusken. ''Verhandlungen der kaiserlich- königlichen zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien'' 16: 909-916 (mit Zelebor). *1867. Zwei neue Süsswasser-Muscheln aus Afrika. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 14: 206-209. *1871. Mollusca nova Musei Godeffroy Hamburgiensis.'' Malakozoologische Blätter'' 18: 150-175. *1872. ''Die Gattung Avicula in Abbildungennach der Natur mit Beschreibungen, ser. Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz'' (Küster, H.C. ed.), vol. 7. Bauer & Raspe, Nürnberg. *1874. Drei neue Meeresconchylien der norwegischen Fauna. ''Nachrichtsblatt der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft'' 6: 7 (mit Metzger). *1875. Diagnosen zweier neuer Bulimi. ''Nachrichtsblatt der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesell''schaft 7: 28-29. *1875. Verzeichnis der Species einiger Gattungen zweischaliger Mollusken des rothen Meeres. ''Jahrbücher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft'' 2: 1-6. *1875. Zwei neue Bulimi aus der Sierra Nevada (Columbien). ''Jahrbücher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesells''chaft 2: 220-221. *1875. Ueber Conchylien von Desterro, Prov. Sta. Catharina, Brasilien. ''Jahrbücher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen'' Gesellschaft 2: 240-254. *1877. Mollusca nonnulla nova maris Japonici. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'' 24: 67-75. *1879. Mollusca quaedam nova. ''Journal de Conchyliologie'' 27: 212-217. *1882. ''Index Molluscorum Maris Japonici''. Theodor Fischer, Cassel. *1882. De Molluscis nonnullis terrestribus Americae australis. ''Jahrbücher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft'' 9: 377-380. *1882. ''Die Gattung Lithophaga in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen, ser. Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz'', vol. 8. Bauer & Raspe, Nürnberg. *1883. Zwei neue Murices. ''Malakozoologische Blätter'', Neue Folgen 6: 35-36. *1886. ''Die Familie der Limnaeiden enthaltend die Genera Planorbis, Limnaeus, Physa und Amphipepla''. In ''Abbildungen nach der Natur und Beschreibungen, ser. Systematische Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz'' (Küster, H.C., Kobelt, W. & Weinkauff, H.C. ed.), vol. 1, No. 17 Bauer & Raspe, Nürnberg (zusammen mit Küster, H.C. & Clessin, S.).

References

*Tëmkin, I., Glaubrecht, M. & Köhler, F., 2009. Wilhelm Dunker, his collection, and pteriid systematics. ''Malacologia'' 51: 39-79.

External links

Books by Dunker at Biodiversity Heritage Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunker, Wilhelm Conchologists German malacologists 1809 births 1885 deaths 19th-century German geologists German paleontologists