Jean-Théodore Lacordaire, a distinguished French entomologist, brother of the famous preacher of the same name, b. at Recey-sur-Ource, Céte-d’Or, 1 Feb., 1801; d. at Liége, 18 July, 1870. As a boy he was very fond of natural history and especially the study of insect life. Family circumstances, however, made it necessary for him to adopt a mercantile career; he was sent to Havre, and at the age of twenty-four sailed for South America. He soon after began to devote himself to the study of zoology. Visiting South America four times between the years 1825 and 1832, he travelled on foot through extensive districts in order to study the rich insect fauna, particularly the beetles. He also undertook a journey to Senegambia. Intervening years were spent at Paris, where he made the acquaintance of the foremost contemporary French zoologists and devoted himself entirely to scientific studies. In 1836 he was appointed professor of zoology and comparative anatomy in the University of Liége, a position which he held until his death, more than thirty years later.
He was a deeply religious man, particularly in his declining years, and one of his daughters became a nun. His scientific activity was conspicuous, unselfish, and uninterrupted, and he was honoured with membership in many learned European societies. His principal works, which he began i publish in 1834, show independent and thorough research, and a full command of the extensive literature of entomology. While his first work, “ Introduction 4 l’ Entomologie” (2 vols., Paris, 1834-38), relates to the whole science of entomology, the subsequent volumes deal exclusively with beetles (Coleoptera). In 1842 was published “Monographie des Erotyliens”; in 1845-48 (Paris, 2 vols.) “Monographie des Coléoptéres subpentaméres de la famille des Phytophages”, published also in the “Mémoires del Société Royale des Sciences de Liége”. But Lacordaire’s principal work is “ Histoire naturelle des Insectes”, with the sub-title, “ Genera des Coléoptéres” (Paris, 1854-1876, 12 tomes in 14 vols.); it contains a detailed description of all the then known genera of beetles, numbering about 6000. Although Lacordaire devoted the last eighteen years of his life to this work, he could not finish it. The last three volumes were written by his pupil, F. Chapuis. The text a this great work is accompanied by an atlas of 134 ates.
~ Cuapuis in the preface to vol. X of Genera des Coléoptéres (Paris, 1874); Kne.urr, Das Christentum und die Vertreter der neueren Naturwissenschaft (Freiburg, 1904).
Joseph ROMPEL.