Adolpho Ducke (October 19, 1876 – January 5, 1959), (also referred to as Adolfo Ducke and occasionally misspelled "Duque"), was a notable entomologist, botanist and

ethnographer Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

specializing in Amazonia. According to family records, he was an ethnic German with roots in Trieste

Austro-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(now in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

). German was his first language; that is, the German commonly spoken in Trieste in the 19th century. Most of his books were written in German. Recruited by Emílio Goeldi, Ducke began his work in

Amazônia The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

as an entomologist for the

Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi The Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG) is a Brazilian research institution and museum located in the city of Belém, state of Pará, Brazil. It was founded in 1866 by Domingos Soares Ferreira Penna as the Pará Museum of Natural History and Ethn ...

, but due to the influence of botanists

Jacques Hüber Jacques Huber (13 October 1867 Schleitheim – 18 February 1914 Belém) was a Swiss-Brazilian botanist who did pioneering work on the flora of the Amazon from 1895 until his death. He created and organized the herbarium and arboretum in Belém, ...

and Paul Le Cointe, he switched to botany. He traveled throughout Amazônia to study the complicated

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

system of the rainforest. He published 180 articles and monographs, primarily on the Leguminosae, and he described 900 species and 50 new genera. In 1918, while continuing his work for the Paraense Museum, he collaborated with the

Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden or Jardim Botânico is located at the Jardim Botânico district in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The Botanical Garden shows the diversity of Brazilian and foreign flora. There are around 6,500 species (so ...

and the Instituto Agronômico do Norte. In the first half of the 20th century, he became one of the most respected authorities on the Amazonian

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

. In 1954, his concerns about the future of the Amazonian forest led him to make a suggestion to the

National Institute of Amazonian Research The National Institute of Amazonian Research (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia or INPA) is a public educational and research institution headquartered in Manaus, Brazil. It was founded in 1952, with the purpose of furthering scientific ...

(INPA) for the creation of a nature reserve. He died in Fortaleza in 1959 before witnessing the fulfillment of his dream: In 1963, the Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke was established and named in his honour. Also named in his honour is a botanical garden east of Manaus, and the phytochemical research laboratory at the museum in Belém. Ducke's entomological material is currently located at the

in Belém, the

Natural History Museum of Bern The Natural History Museum of Bern (german: Naturhistorisches Museum Bern) is a museum in Bern, Switzerland. In its teaching and research it cooperates closely with the University of Bern.University of São Paulo The University of São Paulo ( pt, Universidade de São Paulo, USP) is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian public university and the country's most prestigious educational institution, the bes ...

, and

The Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

, in London. Ducke's general classification of the Neotropical social wasps is still used. Additionally, Ducke is known for his findings on the species ''

Melipona subnitida ''Melipona subnitida'' is a neotropical bee species in the Apidae family found in the dry areas of Northeastern Brazil. This species of stingless bees practices single mating, monogynous habits. This species nests in hollow trunks of living tree ...

'', a species which he discovered and did significant field research on.

Honours

Adolpho Ducke has been honoured in the naming of several genera of plants including; '' Duckea'' (in 1958 ), '' Duckeanthus'' (in 1934 ), ''

Duckeella ''Duckeella'' is a genus of orchids (family Orchidaceae), belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae. It has 3 known species, all native to South America: The genus name of ''Duckesia'' is in honour of Adolpho Ducke (1876–1959), an entomologist, b ...

'' (in 1939 ), '' Duckeodendron'' (in 1925 ) and '' Duckesia'' (in 1961 ).

Entomological publications

* Ducke, A. (1897). ''Ent. Nachr., 23'', 38-43. * Ducke, A. (1898). ''Ent. Nachr., 24'', 212-217, 257-262. * Ducke, A. (1899). ''Ent. Nachr., 25'', 211-215. * Ducke, A. (1900). ''Ber. Ver., 25'', 1-323. * Ducke, A. (1901). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 1'', 353-361. * Ducke, A. (1901). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 1'', 25-32, 49-67. * Ducke, A. (1901). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 1'', 241-242. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Bol. Mus. Paraense Emilio Goeldi, 3'', 561-577. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Allg. Zeitschr. Entomol., 7'', 321-325, 360-368, 400-404, 417-421. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zool. Jb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere, 17'', 285-328. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 2'', 91-93. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 2'', 102-103. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 2'', 141-144. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Verhandl. Zool. Bot. Ges., 52'', 575-580. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 2'', 204-207. * Ducke, A. (1902). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 3'', 97-104. * Ducke, A. (1903). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 3'', 176-177. * Ducke, A. (1903). ''Allgem. Zeitschr. Ent., 8'', 368-372. * Ducke, A. (1903). ''Allg. Zeit. Entomol., 8'', 368. * Ducke, A. (1903). ''Verhandlungen der kaiserlich-königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 53'', 265-270. * Ducke, A. (1903). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 3'', 129-136, 226-232. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 4'', 209-214. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 4'', 189-190. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 36'', 13-48. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Bol. Mus. Emílio Goeldi, 4'', 317-371. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 4''(3), 134-143. * Ducke, A. (1904). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 4'', 91-98. * Ducke, A. (1905). ''Zeitschr. wiss. Insektenbiol., 10/11'', 175-177, 117-121. * Ducke, A. (1905). ''Rev. Ent., 24'', 1-24. * Ducke, A. (1905). ''Bol. Mus. Emílio Goeldi, 4'', 652-698. * Ducke, A. (1905). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 36'', 99-109. * Ducke, A. (1905). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 5'', 227-229. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 38'', 3-19. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 6'', 394-400. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Zeitschr. wiss. Insektenbiol., 2'', 17-21. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Rev. Ent., 25'', 5-11. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr., 1906'', 163-166. * Ducke, A. (1906). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 2'', 51-60. * Ducke, A. (1906). (Second suppl.). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 38'', 3-19. * Ducke, A. (1907 (1908)). ''Rev. Ent., 26'', 73-96. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 7'', 80, 321-325, 361-368, 455-461. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Rev. Ent., 26'', 5-9. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Rev. Ent., 26'', 145-148. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr., 76'', 28-30. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Bol. Mus. Paraense Emílio Goeldi, 5'', 152-199. * Ducke, A. (1907). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 7'', 137-141. * Ducke, A. (1908). ''Dt. ent. Zeitschr., 1908'', 695-700. * Ducke, A. (1908). II. Hyménoptères récoltés dans l'Etat de Ceará en 1908. ''Rev. Ent., 27'', 57-87. * Ducke, A. (1908). ''Rev. Ent., 27'', 28-55. * Ducke, A. (1908). ''Zeitschr. Syst. Hymenopterol. Dipterol., 8'', 44-47, 99-104. * Ducke, A. (1909 (1911)). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 41'', 89-115. * Ducke, A. (1909). ''Ann. Hist. Nat. Mus. Nat. Hungarici, 7'', 626-627. * Ducke, A. (1909). ''Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr., 18'', 306-309. * Ducke, A. (1909). ''Boll. Soc. Ent. Ital., 41'', 89-115. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Rev. Ent., 29'', 78-122. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Rev. Ent., 29'', 73-77. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Rev. Trimestral do Instituto do Ceará, 24'', 3-61. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Ann. Mus. Nat. Hungarici, 8'', 449-544. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Rev. Ent., 29'', 180-192. * Ducke, A. (1910). ''Deutsch. Ent. Zeitschr., 1910'', 362-369. * Ducke, A. (1912). ''Zool. Jb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere, 34'', 51-116. * Ducke, A. (1913). ''Catálogos da Fauna Brazileira, Museu Paulista, 4'', 1-31. * Ducke, A. (1913). ''Rev. Mus. Paulista, 5'', 107-122. * Ducke, A. (1913). ''Deutsch. Ent. Zeitschr., 1913'', 330-333. * Ducke, A. (1914). ''Zool. Jb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere, 36'', 303-330. * Ducke, A. (1916). ''Commissão de Linhas Telegráficas Estratégicas de Matto Grosso ao Amazonas, 35 (anexo 5)'', 1-175. * Ducke, A. (1918). ''Rev. Mus. Paulista, 10'', 314-374. * Ducke, A. (1925). ''Zool. Jb. Abt. Syst. Geogr. Biol. Tiere, 49'', 335-448.

Botanical publications

* Ducke, A. (1910). Explorações botânicas e entomológicas no Estado do Ceará. ''Rev. Trimestral do Instituto do Ceará, 24'', 3-61.

References

Other sources

* Egler, W. A. (1963). Adolpho Ducke-traços biográficos, viagens e trabalhos. ''Boletim do Museu Emílio Goeldi. Nova série. Botânica, 18'', 1-129. * Overal, W. L. (1978). Designação de lectótipos de onze espécies de vespas sociais descritas por Adolpho Ducke, e notas sobre a coleção Ducke (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). ''Bol. Mus. Paraense Emílio Goeldi, n.s., Zool., 94'', 1-14. * Nascimento, P. T. R., & Overal, W. L. (1979). Contribuições entomológicas de Adolpho Ducke: taxônomia e bibliográfia. ''Bol. Mus. Paraense Emílio Goeldi, n.s., Zool., 95'', 1-22. * Overal, W. L. (1979). The collection of Adolph Ducke. ''Sphecos, 1'', 17-19. * Overal, W. L., & Nascimento, P. T. R. (1979). Contribuições entomológicas de Adolpho Ducke: Taxonomia e bibliografia. ''Bol. Mus. Paraense Emílio Goeldi, n.s., Zool., 95'', 1-17. * Carpenter, J. M. (1999). Taxonomic notes on paper wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae). ''American Museum Novitates(3259), 1-44.

External links

Botanist of the Brazilian Rainforest
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ducke, Adolpho 1876 births 1959 deaths Brazilian ethnographers Hymenopterists 20th-century Brazilian botanists Brazilian people of Austrian descent Brazilian people of Italian descent 19th-century Brazilian botanists Brazilian entomologists