Augustus Radcliffe Grote(February 7, 1841 – September 12, 1903) was a Britishentomologistwhodescribedover 1,000 species ofbutterflies and moths.[1][2][3]He is best known for his work on North AmericanNoctuidae.[4]A number of species were named after him, including the mothHorama grotei.[5]
Augustus Radcliffe Grote | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 7 February 1841 |
| Died | 12 September 1903(aged 62) |
| Nationality | British |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Entomology |
Early life and family
editGrote was born inAigburth,a suburb ofLiverpool,in 1841.[1]His mother wasEnglish,and his maternal grandfather, Augustus Radcliffe, was a partner in the house ofSir Joseph Bailey.[1][4]Grote was afirst cousinon his mother's side toEthel Romanes.[1]
Grote's father was born inDanzig,and his paternal lineage traced back to Dutch philosopherHugo Grotius.[1]His family name was changed from 'Grohté' to 'Grote' when his father became an English citizen.[1]
Augustus Grote came toNew Yorkat age 7, one year after his parents had moved there from England, and spent his youth onStaten Islandwhere his father had purchased a farm inNew Dorp.[1][6]He attended school underJoseph Deghuéewhere he became childhood friends withEdward GraefandFrederick Tepper,both of whom who also became entomologists.[6][7]Grote's interest inentomology,and moths in particular, began at a young age as he explored the natural areas around his home on Staten Island with Graef and Tepper.[1][6][8][9]Graef describes their childhood insect collecting as follows:[6]
Equipped with the usual outfit of nets, cigar boxes, pill boxes and pins, we resorted as often as possible to the suburbs of the then relatively small city of Brooklyn. One favorite collecting spot was a vegetable garden, where now is the junction of Flatbush Ave. and Fulton St. Fort Greene Hill, now Washington Park, was another nice wild place. Then, there was the meadow, or sheep pasture, now part of Prospect Park, at that time devoted to pigeon shooting. Occasionally we took long trips to East New York, Bay Ridge and Parkville, as well as the many intervening unpopulated localities.
The entomological interest of the three boys was nurtured byJohn Ackhurst.[6]
His father invested in real estate and was involved in the founding of theStaten Island Railway.[1][9]An economic downturn in 1857 resulted in significant financial distress for the family and prevented Augustus' planned attendance atHarvard University.[1]He later returned to Europe to further his education, and upon returning to the United States, attendedLafayette College,Pennsylvania,and graduated with aM.A. degree.[1]
In 1870, Grote married a woman fromCharleston,South Carolina;she died three years later inAlabamaon the birth of their second child.[1]About 10 years later he married Minna Ruyter, inGermany.[1]
Aside from his natural history publications, Grote wrote two books on religious themes: 'The New Infidelity' and 'Genesis I,II': An Essay on the Biblical Narrative of Creation'. His other works include 'Education and the Succession of Experiences' and a book of poetry ('Rip van Winkle: A Sunmyth, and Other Poems').[1][4][9]Grote also composed music, though only one piece was ever sold.[1][9]
While living inBuffalo,Grote served asorganistat anEpiscopalchurch.[1]
Career
editGrote's formal scientific work began around 1862 with the publication of his first entomology articles.[1][4]He was living in Buffalo around this time and became a member of theBuffalo Society of Natural Sciences.[10]
From Buffalo, Grote moved toDemopolis,Alabama where he studied thecotton wormand lobbied for increased attention to the problems it caused for cotton production.[1][11]His lobbying efforts were initially unsuccessful.[1]Shortly after the death of his wife in 1873, Grote was invited by the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences to return to Buffalo and become director of its museum; he accepted the invitation and served in this capacity for seven years.[10]His efforts greatly expanded the museum'scollectionsuch that when he left Buffalo in 1880, it held specimens of over 1,000Noctuidspecies and 505type specimens.[10]This collection was subsequently sold to theBritish Museum.[2][10]
In 1878, Grote traveled toFlorida,Georgia,and Alabama by appointment of theUnited States Entomological Commissionto study insects injurious to cotton plants, with his work incorporated into the commission's report in 1885.[1][11]Grote had earlier been disappointed he had not been selected to serve on the commission itself, and attributed this perceived oversight to the "adverse influence ofDr. Riley,and for many years he took every opportunity of criticizing in vehement language the work of this distinguished Entomologist. "[1]
In July 1879, he began publication ofThe North American Entomologist,though only one volume of 12 issues was published.[1][4]He served on the editorial committee of the journalThePractical Entomologistand the publication committee ofPapilio.[2]
Shortly after the death of his father, Grote moved back to Staten Island in 1880, taking up residence inNew Brightonwhere he entertained friends such asC.H. FernaldandHenry Edwards.[9]
Grote moved to Bremen, Germany, in 1884 and tried, unsuccessfully, to obtain a position at theBritish Museum.[1][4][9]In 1895, he moved to Hildesheim, where he took a position at theRoemer und Pelizaeus Museum.[1]He continued to publish papers on North American Lepidoptera while in Germany.[9]
Grote was a fellow of theEntomological Society of Londonand an honorary member of both theEntomological Society of Canadaand theAmerican Entomological Society.[1][4]He was elected as a member to theAmerican Philosophical Societyin 1876.[12]
He published many articles, primarily on North American Lepidoptera, in theBulletin of the Buffalo Society of Natural History,The Canadian Entomologist,and numerous other journals.[1][10]Non-entomology articles include 'Descriptions of new crustaceans from the water lime group' and 'On the peopling of North America'.[4]Several of his public lectures were published inScientific AmericanandPopular Science Monthly.[1]
Death
editGrote died after a long and painful bout ofendocarditisin Hildesheim in 1903 at age 62, and was survived by his wife, Minna, and six children.[1][4][13]
References
edit- ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabBethune, C.J.S.(1903)."Professor Augustus Radcliffe Grote".34th Annual Report of the Entomological Society of Ontario.Ontario Department of Agriculture: 109–112.
- ^abcOsborn, H. 1937. Fragments of Entomological History. Columbus, OH: Published by the author.
- ^Weiss, H.B. (1936).The Pioneer Century of American Entomology.New Brunswick, New Jersey. p. 249.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^abcdefghiAnonymous (1903)."Augustus Radcliffe Grote, M.A."Entomological News and Proceedings of the Entomology Section, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.14(9): 277–278.
- ^Butler, Arthur G. (1876)."Notes on the Lepidoptera of the Family Zygaenidae, with Descriptions of new Genera and Species".Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology.12(60–62): 342–407.doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1876.tb00686.x.
- ^abcdeGraef, Edward L. (1914)."Some early Brooklyn entomologists".Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society.9(3): 47–56.
- ^Wilterding, John H. (1997). "Type specimens of Lepidoptera in the Tepper Collection at Michigan State University".Journal of the New York Entomological Society.105:65–104.
- ^Grote, Augustus Radcliffe (1886).The hawk moths of North America.Bremen.doi:10.5962/bhl.title.38321.ISBN978-0-665-13494-4.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^abcdefgAnonymous (10 October 1903)."Augustus Radcliffe Grote".Proceedings of the Natural Science Association of Staten Island.8(24): 67–68.
- ^abcdeHowland, Henry R. (1 January 1907)."The Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences Historical Sketch".Bulletin of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences.8:3–25.
- ^abRiley, Charles V.; Commission, United States Entomological; States, United (1885).Fourth report of the United States Entomological Commission: being a revised edition of bulletin no. 3, and the final report on the cotton worm: together with a chapter on boll worm.Washington: Government Printing Office.doi:10.5962/bhl.title.123035.
- ^"APS Member History".search.amphilsoc.org.Retrieved10 May2021.
- ^Anonymous (15 September 2023)."Obituary".The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine.14 (2nd Series): 255–256.
External links
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