JCeopold Mtzinger: 



Jiis JCife andjierpetological Work 



by ^bert Mertens* 



THERE ARE ABOUT 70 GENERIC NAMES, IN COMMON 

 use in herpetology today, originating from Leopold 

 Fitzinger. Many of these names are known, not only to 

 herpetologists, but to nearly everyone who has ever 

 worked with amphibians and reptiles. Among the frogs 

 we find such names as Gastrotheca, Leptodactylus, and 

 Pseudacris; a Salamander, Salamandrina, and the 

 caecilian, Ichthyophis; several turtles, Chelodina, 

 Eretmochelys, Geochelone, Lepidochelys, and Psammo- 

 bates; and a large number of lizards, Conolophus, Gona- 

 todes, Mabuya, Psammodromus, and Stenodactylus, and 

 the snakes Boiga, Chironius, Drymarchon, Elaphe, Lam- 

 propeltis, Malpolon, Psammophis, and Thamnophis. Be- 

 ing such a productive author, the following brief account 

 of Fitzinger 's life and work is provided to give a f ulier 

 view of his achievements. 



Rtzinger's Life 



Leopold Joseph Franz Johann Fitzinger was one of the 

 most active Austrian zoologists of the 19th Century. Be- 

 sides his great contributions to the systematics of am- 

 phibians and reptiles, he considerably furthered our 

 knowledge of the other vertebrates, especially mammals 

 and birds, and even did some work on invertebrates. 



Fitzinger was bom on 13 April 1802 in Vienna, the 

 youngest son of an administrative official. His brother 

 Franz, who was two years older, was a well-known poet. 

 Leopold Fitzinger became interested in natural history 

 at an early age. During his school years he started a col- 

 lection of insects and Shells, and became deeply inter- 

 ested in plants. At the age of 14 he became an apprentice 

 in pharmacy and soon after began his studies at the Uni- 



* Naturmuseum und Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 60325 Frank- 

 furt am Main, Germany. 

 ** Deceased 23 August 1975. Published with modifications by per- 

 mission of the director of the Naturmuseum und Forschungs- 

 institut Senckenberg, Prof. Dr. D. St. Feters. 



versity of Vienna in mineralogy, chemistry, zoology, and 

 botany, the latter two subjects under J. F. von Jacquin, 

 the describer of the well-known Lacerta vivipara which 

 is widespread in the Palearctic region. Through Jacquin, 

 Fitzinger became acquainted with his son-in-law, Carl 



■}iv^!!^^S^-:^. '■ ■^•''" 



'^ iK.Ctf*.' J^*' 



FiGURE 1 . Portrait and Signatare of Leopold Fitzinger (from 

 Koch, 1886). 



111 



