Otto Staudinger - Achievements and Impact

Achievements and Impact

One of Staudinger's most valuable and durable achievements was the publication of three catalogues of the Lepidoptera of Europe and eventually of the entire palaearctic region. These "Check-lists" as they would be called today were immediately accepted by lepidopterists, used as a basis of faunal lists and stimulated further taxonomic studies. As early as 1861 Staudinger together with Max Ferdinand Wocke published a Catalog der Lepidopteren Europa's und der angrenzenden Länder, himself treating the so-called Macrolepidoptera, and Wocke the Microlepidoptera. The next edition, bilingual in German and French, appeared in 1871 (Catalog der Lepidopteren des Europaeischen Faunengebiets ) and found wide distribution. The 1901 edition became a standard work of reference; it was edited after Staudinger's death by Hans Rebel who wrote the Microlepidoptera part while Staudinger had treated the Macrolepidoptera: Catalog der Lepidopteren des palaearctischen Faunengebietes .

Staudinger also played a key role as an initiator of entomological and biological exploration in many parts of the globe. He not only bought collections from the eastern Palaearctic and many tropical areas but he often sent collectors and naturalists to specific areas of interest:

• Amur and Ussuri regions (Vladivostok, Suifun, Sutschan, Isle of Askold: F. Dörries and brothers, 1877–1898, Jablonovoi-Mountains, 1896),
• NE Siberia (Vitim: O. Herz, 1888),
• Tarbagatai (near Zaysan: J. Haberhauer, 1877),
• Altai (near Ongadai, Bashkam, Tshuja valley: Henry John Elwes and Borezowsky, 1898),
• Mongolia (Uliastai: a cossack collecting for H. Leder, 1893; Kentei mountains: F. Dörries, 1889, 1893; around Urga: J. Haberhauer, 1895; Changai: H. Leder, 1899),
• Tibet (between Lop Nur and Qinghai Lake, E. Rückbeil for R. Tancré, 1893-1893),
• Chinese Turkestan (near Korla: J. Haberhauer, 1897),
• eastern Tien Shan (Chamyl and elsewhere: J. Haberhauer, 1896),
• Tien Shan (between Issyk-Kul and Kuldja: E. Rückbeil, 1895?),
• Asia minor (Mardin, Gaziantep, Merzifon, Malatya, Hadjin, Kayseri, Tokat, Antakya, Marasch and elsewhere: J. Manisadjian, 1875–1897),
• Taurus (near Zeitun: Haradjian, 1897),
• Syria (F. Zach),
• Palestine (Bacher, 1896–1899; J. Paulus, 1890–1898),
• Sierra Leone and Cameroon (Dr. Preuss, 1866),
• Indo-Australian archipelago (Waigeu, Moluccas, Celebes, Sangir, Philippines, Timor, Palawan, Sarawak: Dr. K. K. Platen, 1880–1895),
• Ceylon, Penang, Borneo (Brunei, Labuan, Kinabalu) (J. Waterstradt, 1888–1904),
• Panama and Chiriqui (H. Ribbe, 1878),
• Amazon (Dr. Hahnel, 1879–1884, 1885–1887, later also O. Michael and the Garlepp brothers, these also in Peru und Bolivia),
• Peru (Chanchamayo: F. Thamm, around 1870-1873).

In this way Staudinger succeeded in publishing whole faunal lists of districts some of which had been entomological terra incognita before. Examples are the Lepidopteren-Fauna Kleinasiens (1881), Die Macrolepidopteren des Amurgebietes (1892) and the Lepidopteren des Kentei-Gebirges (1892).

The taxonomic work on these collections was Staudinger's life work. He described hundreds if not thousands of taxa, mainly from the families of the so-called Macrolepidoptera. All scientifically important specimens, especially the types – which Staudinger labelled "Origin." (for "original specimen") – remained in his private collection. A bibliography of Staudinger's entomological works lists 137 publications (Anonymus 1901). Numerous taxa have been named for Staudinger.

After Staudinger's death the firm "Staudinger & Bang-Haas" was led by Andreas Bang-Haas. In 1913 his son Otto Bang-Haas (1882–1948) became the sole owner and continued to run the firm until his death. After that it was dissolved on 30 September 1948.