Appendix: Some Important Early Collections of West Indian Type Specimens, with Historical Notes
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Appendix: Some important early collections of West Indian type specimens, with historical notes Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 between 1841 and 1864, we gain additional information concerning the sponge memoir, starting with the letter dated 8 May 1855. Jacob Gysbert Samuel van Breda A biography of Placide Duchassaing de Fonbressin was (1788-1867) was professor of botany in Franeker (Hol published by his friend Sagot (1873). Although an aristo land), of botany and zoology in Gent (Belgium), and crat by birth, as we learn from Michelotti's last extant then of zoology and geology in Leyden. Later he went to letter to van Breda, Duchassaing did not add de Fon Haarlem, where he was secretary of the Hollandsche bressin to his name until 1864. Duchassaing was born Maatschappij der Wetenschappen, curator of its cabinet around 1819 on Guadeloupe, in a French-Creole family of natural history, and director of Teyler's Museum of of planters. He was sent to school in Paris, first to the minerals, fossils and physical instruments. Van Breda Lycee Louis-le-Grand, then to University. He finished traveled extensively in Europe collecting fossils, especial his studies in 1844 with a doctorate in medicine and two ly in Italy. Michelotti exchanged collections of fossils additional theses in geology and zoology. He then settled with him over a long period of time, and was received as on Guadeloupe as physician. Because of social unrest foreign member of the Hollandsche Maatschappij der after the freeing of native labor, he left Guadeloupe W etenschappen in 1842. The two chief papers of Miche around 1848, and visited several islands of the Antilles lotti on fossils were published by the Hollandsche Maat (notably Nevis, Sint Eustatius, St. Martin, probably also schappij, in 1847 and 1861, respectively. His letters to St. Barthelemy, St. Croix, and Cuba), treating cholera. He van Breda make frequent reference to these publications. reached Panama, where he opened a hospital. Again From the letter of 8 May 1855, we learn that Michelotti driven out by local intrigues, he returned to Guadeloupe. had just returned from a voyage to part of the United Around 1850 he went to Copenhagen to obtain a Danish States (the Great Lakes area is mentioned in another degree of medicine. He settled on St. Thomas, Virgin source), and in the winter of 1854-5, to Cuba and Islands (then Danish) in 1852, continuing his profession. neighbouring islands of the Antilles. He was apparently He left the West Indies for good in 1867, and settled in interested chiefly in geology and paleontology, but seems France, where he died in 1873. He collected rather to have drawn comparisons between fossil and recent aimlessly, had virtually no books to consult, but sent invertebrates. From a later letter (11 June 1861) it much material, chiefly plants, to European correspon appears that Michelotti spent three months in the West dents. Much of Sagot's account is dedicated to Duchas Indies. He must have met Duchassaing during this saing's botanical collections. Besides his own zoological period. publications (notably 1850, 1870) and that on sponges Michelotti mentioned in the letter of 9 November 1858 with Michelotti (1864), he published on the geology of and again in the following of 15 December 1858, that Guadeloupe, and, again with Michelotti, on corals of the Duchassaing was engaged in describing and drawing Antilles. He must have started to collect sponges soon sponges of the Antilles from live specimens. The manu after his return from his studies in France, but in any script was then nearly complete, with 80 of the 110 case from 1848 on, as his short paper of 1850 contains de species known to Duchassaing already described, illus scriptions of some sponges from the Antilles. trated, and distributed among 15 genera, plus an intro Giovanni Michelotti (1812-98) spent most of his life in ductory chapter on the principles of classification Turin. He was a lawyer in government service, and adopted. All this had been done by Duchassaing alone. devoted his free time to paleontology, chiefly to inverte Michelotti was invited by Duchassaing to make a compi brate fossils of Northern Italy. Published biographical lation and commentary on the existing literature on data refer chiefly to the latter activity, and very little is sponges, to prepare notes on distribution outside the known on Michelotti's association with Duchassaing, or West Indies, and to add synonymies and citations. of the extent of his contribution to the joint paper on Michelotti was also given free hand in looking for a sponges. Details concerning the publication of the suitable publisher and seeing the manuscript through sponge memoir and the fate of the type collections are press. He offered the manuscript, plates, and all spe equally obscure. De Laubenfels (1953b, p. 30) made a cimens to the Hollandsche Maatschappij. Duchassaing few comments, some of which need to be corrected. agreed to these plans, but suggested that Michelotti Fortunately, a Xerox copy of a collection of letters should visit the important collections in Paris and Lon written by Michelotti to Prof. J. G. S. van Breda in don, and consult some English specialists, particularly Haarlem was made available for study by Mr. J. G. de Bowerbank, with whom Michelotti was already in corre Bruijn, Teylers Stichting, Haarlem, who also provided spondence concerning paleontology. As we learn from information of his own. From these 52 letters, written later letters, the political developments in Italy, and his 249 Table 48 Primary types and hypo types of species described by Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864, deposited in the Zoological Museum Amsterdam. The names preceded by an asterisk are not represented in the British Museum (Natural History). Published name Page ZMANo. Original label Present interpretation Spongia barbara 31 Por.2074 Spongia barbara Spongia barbara Viecques Duchassaing & Michelotti (a 'hardhead sponge') Spongia cerebriformis 32 Por. 2075 Spongia cerebriformis Spongia sterea de Laubenfels and Storr, St. Thomas forma sterea•) Songia grossypina 32 Por. 2087 Spongia grossypina St. Thomas Hippospongia grossypina (Duchassaing & Michelotti) Spongia meandriformis 33 Por. 2096 Sp .... formis Viecques Spongia barbara [partly illegible] Duchassaing & Michelotti (a 'hardhead sponge') Spongia tubulifera Lamarck 34 Por. 2257 Spong. tubulifera St. Thomas Spongia tubulifera Lamarck • Spongia vermiculata 35 Por. 2256 Sp. vermiculata St. Thomas Spongia barbara Duchassaing & Michelotti (a 'hardhead sponge') *Spongia discus 37 Por. 2077 Spong. discus Spongia obliqua Viecques Duchassaing & Michelotti • Spongia fusca 38 Por.2086 Sp. fusca Haliclona (Amphimedon) complanata St. Thomas Duchassaing, 1850 Spongia obliqua 38 Por. 2099 Sp.obliqua Spongia obliqua Viecques Duchassaing & Michelotti b) *Spongia musicalis 39 Por. 2097 Sp. musicalis spec. mediocre Coscinoderma? sp. indet. St. Thomas Spongia manus Blain ville 39 Por.2095 Spongia Manus St. Martin Haliclona (Amphimedon) complanata Duchassaing Spongia rubens Pallas 41 Por. 2254 Sp. rubens St. Thomas Haliclona (Amphimedon) compressa Duchassaing & Michelotti Tuba sororia 46 Por. 2415 Tuba sororia St. Thomas Spinosella vaginalis (Lamarck), forma vaginalis Tuba megastoma 48 Por. 2412 Tuba megastoma St. Thomas Spinosella vaginalis, forma vaginalis Tuba bursaria (Spongia) Lamarck 48 Por. 2411 [Spong.] Tuba bursaria Spinosella villosa (Pallas) St. Martine) Tuba armigera 48 Por. 2407 Tuba armigera St. Thomas Spinosella vaginalis, forma armigera Duchassaing & Michelotti Tuba digitalis (Spongia) Lamarck 49 Por. 2408 Original label lost Niphates digitalis (Lamarck), forma digitalis *Tuba pavonina 50 Por. 2413 Tuba pavonina St. Thomas Niphates digitalis, forma pavonina Duchassaing & Michelotti *Tuba plicifera Lamarck 53 Por. 2414 Tuba plicifera St. Thomas Spinosella plicifera (Lamarck) *Tuba irregularis 53 Por. 2409 Tuba irregularis St. Thomas Spinosella vaginalis forma vaginalis Por. 2410 Tuba irregularis Viecques Spinosella vaginalis, forma vaginalis Callyspongia Eschrichtii 56 Por. 620 Original label lost Spinosella vaginalis, forma eschrichti Duchassaing & Michelotti Por. 623 Callysp. Eschrichtii Spinosella vaginalis, forma eschrichti St. Thomas *Callyspongia bullata (Spongia) 56 Por. 626 Originallabellost Callyspongia fallax Lamarck Duchassaing & Michelotti Luffaria sebae 59 Por. 1478 Luffaria Sebae St. Thomas Aplysina lacunosa (Lamarck) Por. 1479 Luffaria Sebae St. Thomas Aplysina lacunosa *Luffaria nuciformis 60 Por. 1476d) Luffaria musciformis [sic] Aplysina lacunosa St. Thomas *Luffaria insularis 61 Por. 1475 Luffaria insularis Aplysinafistularis (Pallas), formafistularis') St. Thomas *Polytherses campana (Spongia) 68 Por. 1852 Original label lost Ircinia campana (Lamarck) Lamarck *Polytherses armata 70 Por. 1851 Polyth. armata specim. junior Irciniafelix (Duchassaing & Michelotti) St. Thomas *Polytherses longispina 71 Por. 1855 Polytherses longispina I rsinia strobilina (Lamarck) St. Thomas Polytherses felix 72 Por. 1854 Polyth. felix St. Thomas Irciniafelix (Duchassaing & Michelotti) Polytherses capitata 72 Por. 1853 Polyth. Capitata St. Thomas Ircinia strobilina (Lamarck) *Hyrtios musciformis 75 Por. 1427 Original label lost Iotrochota birotulata (Riggin)') *Agelas dispar 76 Por. 607 Age las dis par St. Martin Age/as sparsa (Gray)g) Amphimedon compressa 78 Por.863 Amphimedon compressa Haliclona (Amphimedon) compressa St. Thomas Duchassaing & Michelotti. Lectotype Amphimedon arborescens 79 Por. 878 Amphimedon