François Marie Daudin (French pronunciation:[fʁɑ̃swamaʁidodɛ̃]; 29 August 1776 in
Paris – 30 November 1803 in Paris) was a French
zoologist.
Biography
With legs paralyzed by childhood disease,[1] he studied
physics and
natural history but ended up being devoted to the latter.
Daudin wrote Traité élémentaire et complet d'Ornithologie (Complete and Elementary Treatise of Ornithology) in 1799–1800. It was one of the first modern handbooks of
ornithology, combining
Linneanbinomial nomenclature with the anatomical and physiological descriptions of
Buffon. While an excellent beginning, it was never completed.
In 1800, he also published Recueil de mémoires et de notes sur des espèces inédites ou peu connues de mollusques, de vers et de zoophytes (Collection of memories and notes on new or little-known species of
molluscs,
worms and
zoophytes).
Daudin found his greatest success in
herpetology. He published Histoire naturelle des reinettes, des grenouilles et des crapauds (Natural history of
tree frogs,
frogs and
toads) in 1802, and Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des reptiles (Natural History of Reptiles) (8 volumes) in 1802–1803. This latter work contained descriptions of 517 species, many for the first time, based on examining over 1100 specimens.
He was assisted by his wife "Adèle" (Adélaïde Geneviève de Grégoire de Saint-Sauveur, born 1774), who drew the illustrations. Although his books were commercial failures the couple did not live in poverty, due to the family fortune.[2] She died of
tuberculosis in late 1803, and he followed shortly thereafter, also of tuberculosis, not yet 30 years old.
Taxonomic credits
Despite his short life, Daudin made a lasting contribution to
taxonomy.
Gonatodes daudini POWELL & HENDERSON, 2005, Union Island Clawed Gecko
References
^Beoens, Bo;
Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp.
ISBN978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Daudin, F. M.", p.66).
^Bour, Roger (2011). "François Marie Daudin (29 août 1776-30 novembre 1803), auteur de l’Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, des Reptiles". Alytes28 (1-2): 1-76.