Wilhelm Karl Hartwich (or Hartwig) Peters (22 April 1815 in
Koldenbüttel
Koldenbüttel ( North Frisian: ''Koolnbütel'', nds, Kombüddel, da, Koldenbøl, Koldenbyttel) is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Geography und infrastructure
Koldenbüttel lies in the Eider Tre ...
– 20 April 1883) was a German
naturalist and explorer.
He was assistant to the anatomist
Johannes Peter Müller
Johannes Peter Müller (14 July 1801 – 28 April 1858) was a German physiologist, comparative anatomy, comparative anatomist, ichthyology, ichthyologist, and herpetology, herpetologist, known not only for his discoveries but also for his ability ...
and later became curator of the
Berlin Zoological Museum. Encouraged by Müller and the explorer
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...
, Peters travelled to
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
via
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
in September 1842, exploring the coastal region and the
Zambesi River
The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...
. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of
natural history specimens, which he then described in ''Naturwissenschaftliche Reise nach Mossambique... in den Jahren 1842 bis 1848 ausgeführt'' (1852–1882). The work was comprehensive in its coverage, dealing with mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, river fish, insects and botany. He replaced
Martin Lichtenstein
Martin Hinrich Carl Lichtenstein (10 January 1780 – 2 September 1857) was a German physician, explorer, botanist and zoologist.
Biography
Born in Hamburg, Lichtenstein was the son of Anton August Heinrich Lichtenstein. He studied medicine a ...
as curator of the museum in 1858, and in the same year he was elected a foreign member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...
. In a few years, he greatly increased the Berlin Museum's
herpetological
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 r ...
collection to a size comparable to those of Paris and London. Herpetology was Peters' main interest, and he described 122 new
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
and 649
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 ...
from around the world.
Eponyms
Wilhelm Peters is commemorated in the
scientific names
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
of several species:
Reptiles, including
*''
Andinosaura petrorum'',
*''
Anolis petersii'',
*''
Geophis petersii'',
*''
Hebius petersii'',
*''
Morenia petersi
The Indian eyed turtle (''Morenia petersi'') is a species of turtle in the Family (biology), family Geoemydidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to South Asia.
Geographic range
''M. petersi'' is found in northeastern India (as far west as Biha ...
'', and
*''
Tracheloptychus petersi
''Tracheloptychus petersi'', commonly known as Peters's keeled cordylid, is a species of lizard in the family Gerrhosauridae.
The species is found in Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( ...
''.
Fish
*An African freshwater elephantfish, ''Gnathonemus petersii'', known
commonly as
Peters's elephantnose fish
Peters's elephant-nose fish (''Gnathonemus petersii'') is an African freshwater elephantfish in the genus '' Gnathonemus''. Other names in English include elephantnose fish, long-nosed elephant fish, and Ubangi mormyrid, after the Ubangi River. ...
.
*The African Fish ''
Distichodus petersii
''Distichodus petersii'' is a species of fish in the family Distichodontidae. It is endemic to Tanzania. Its natural habitat is river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake ...
''
Pfeffer, 1896
Geographic
*
Peters Bay
Peters Bay ( da, Peters Bugt) is a bay of the Greenland Sea in King Christian X Land, Greenland. Administratively it belongs to the NE Greenland National Park area. History
The bay was first surveyed by Carl Koldewey during the 1869–70 Second G ...
in NE
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
was named after him by
Carl Koldewey
Carl Christian Koldewey (26 October 1837 – 17 May 1908) was a German Arctic explorer. He led both German North Polar Expeditions.
Life and career
Koldewey was the son of merchant Johann Christian Koldewey and his wife Wilhelmine Meyer. Koldewey ...
during the 1869–1870 Second
German North Polar Expedition
The German North Polar Expeditions were a short series of mid-19th century German expeditions to the Arctic. The aim was to explore the North Pole region and to brand the newly united, Prussian-led German Empire as a great power. In 1866, German ge ...
.
Author abbreviation
Sometimes, W. Peters is used to prevent confusion with herpetologists
Günther Peters and
James A. Peters
James Arthur Peters (July 13, 1922 – December 18, 1972) was an American herpetologists and zoogeographer.
He was born in Durant, Iowa; raised in Greenup, Illinois. He studied at the University of Michigan and obtained his Ph.D. in biology i ...
.
Family
His older brother was the German-born American Astronomer
Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters
Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters (September 19, 1813 – July 18, 1890) was a German–American university teacher and astronomer at the Litchfield Observatory of Hamilton College, New York, and a pioneer in the study and visual discovery of ...
.
[Landeskirchliches Archiv der Evang.-Luth. Kirche, Kirchenkreis Nordfriesland, Koldenbüttel, Taufen 1779-1873]
Works
* ''Naturwissenschaftliche Reise nach Mossambique. Band 1: Zoologie / Säugethiere'' . Reimer, Berlin 185
Digital editionby the
University and State Library Düsseldorf
The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of th ...
* ''Naturwissenschaftliche Reise nach Mossambique. Band 2: Zoologie / Vögel'' . Reimer, Berlin [1883
Digital editionby the
University and State Library Düsseldorf
The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of th ...
* ''Naturwissenschaftliche Reise nach Mossambique. Band 3: Zoologie / Amphibien'' . Reimer, Berlin 188
Digital editionby the
University and State Library Düsseldorf
The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of th ...
* ''Naturwissenschaftliche Reise nach Mossambique. Band 4: Zoologie / Flußfische'' . Reimer, Berlin 186
Digital editionby the
University and State Library Düsseldorf
The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of th ...
* ''Naturwissenschaftliche Reise nach Mossambique. Band 5: Zoologie / Insecten und Myriopoden'' . Reimer, Berlin 186
Digital editionby the
University and State Library Düsseldorf
The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of th ...
* ''Naturwissenschaftliche Reise nach Mossambique. Botanik Abth. 1'' . Reimer, Berlin 186
Digital editionby the
University and State Library Düsseldorf
The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of th ...
* ''Naturwissenschaftliche Reise nach Mossambique. Botanik Abth. 2'' . Reimer, Berlin 186
Digital editionby the
University and State Library Düsseldorf
The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of th ...
See also
*:Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, Wilhelm
1815 births
1883 deaths
19th-century German zoologists
German herpetologists
German mammalogists
German taxonomists
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
People from Nordfriesland