Philibert Commerson

Philibert Commerson
Born	(1727-11-18)18 November 1727 Châtillon-les-Dombes,Kingdom of France
Died	14 March 1773(1773-03-14)(aged 45) Mauritius
Nationality	French
Scientific career
Fields	Zoology Botany Natural history
Institutions	Muséum national d'histoire naturelle
Author abbrev. (botany)	Comm.

Philibert Commerson(French:[filibɛʁkɔmɛʁsɔ̃];18 November 1727 – 14 March 1773),sometimes spelledCommerçonby contemporaries, was a Frenchnaturalist,best known for accompanyingLouis Antoine de Bougainvilleon his voyage ofcircumnavigationin 1766–1769.The standardauthor abbreviationComm.is used to indicate this person as the author whencitingabotanical name.

Biography

Commerson was born atChâtillon-les-DombesinFrance.He studied inMontpellier,and for a time was a practicing physician. He was in contact withCarl Linnaeus,who encouraged him to studyfishof theMediterranean.

Commerson returned to live at Châtillon-les-Dombes, where he occupied himself in creating abotanical gardenin 1758. After the death of his wife in 1764, he moved to Paris.

In 1766, Commerson joined Bougainville on his voyage of circumnavigation after being recommended for the position of naturalist by the Paris Academy of Sciences. He had previously drawn up an extensive programme of nature studies for the Marine Ministry, in which he elaborated the "three natural kingdoms" which a naturalist should investigate on a voyage around the world.Among the wildlife that Commerson observed was a particular kind ofdolphinin theStrait of Magellan,now known asCommerson's dolphin(Cephalorhynchus commersonii).

Commerson's partner and assistant,Jeanne Baré(also referred to Jeanne Baret), accompanied him on the voyage, disguised as a man. Baré acted as a nurse to Commerson, who was often ill, as well as assisting him in his scientific work. Her gender was only publicly discovered while the expedition was atTahiti,but she remained with Commerson, nursing him and assisting him in his professional activities until the end of his life.

Commerson was an astute observer of theTahitian peopleand culture, thanks in part to a remarkable lack ofEuropeanprejudice compared to other early visitors to the island. Commerson and Bougainville together were responsible for spreading the myth of Tahitians as the embodiment of the concept of thenoble savage.

Commerson also studied and collected plants wherever the expedition stopped; among others, he described the genusBougainvillea.On the return voyage to France in 1768, he remained behind atMauritius(the then-FrenchIsle de France), in order to botanize there and onMadagascar,an island that fascinated him.Pierre Sonnerat,who would also become a renowned botanist, was his personal secretary on theIsle de France.

What admirable country Madagascar is! It would merit not a casual observer but entire academies. Madagascar, I may announce to naturalists, is their promised land; it is there that nature seems to have retreated as into a private sanctuary, to work on different models from any she has used elsewhere: The most curious, the most marvellous forms can be found at every step...

— Philibert Commerson, in a letter toJérôme de Lalande,1771

Taxon described by him

• SeeCategory:Taxa named by Philibert Commerson

Species collected by Commerson

• The WrassePastel ringwrasse,Hologymnosus doliatuswas originally formallydescribedasLabrus doliatusin 1801 byBernard Germain de Lacépèdein Volume 5 of hisHistoire naturelle des poissonsbased on a drawing by Commerson.In 1801 Lacépède created thegenusHologymnosusand designated a species,Hologymnosus fasciatus,he had just described as itstype species,this was later shown to be asynonymofH. doliatus.
• Commerson provided the first description of theRing-tailed cardinalfish(Ostorhinchus aureus) fromRéunionin the westernIndian Ocean,but it was not published in a format allowing full citation. Therefore, thespeciesname and description byBernard Germain de Lacépède(who acknowledged Commerson) takes precedence, albeit with a nod to Commerson.
• Gomphosus caeruleuswas formallydescribedin 1801 by Bernard Germain de Lacépède in the third volume of hisHistoire naturelle des poissonsfromtypescollected by Commerson. Notype localitywas given, but now it is known to be Mauritius.

Rufous hornero drawn byFrançois-Nicolas Martinetsometime before 1780 for the bookHistoire Naturelle.

• The first notes taken onRufous horneroFurnarius rufuswere made by Commerson in 1767, from a specimen obtained atBarragán coveduringLouis Antoine de Bougainville's expedition.Commerson named the bird asTurdus fulvusand his notes were later published byGeorges Buffonin hisHistoire Naturellein 1779.However, the rufous hornero was first scientifically described, asMerops rufus,by the German naturalistJohann Friedrich Gmelinin the 13th edition ofSystema Naturaepublished in 1788.Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1788).Systema Naturae.Vol. 1. Leipzig. p. 465.
• Scatophagus tetracanthuswas first formallydescribedChaetodon tetracanthusas in 1802 by the FrenchnaturalistBernard Germain de Lacépèdewith notype localitygiven, Lacépède's description was based on a drawing and manuscript by Commerson.Thespecific nameis acompoundoftetrameaning "four" andacanthuswhich means "spines", a reference to the fouranal finspines.
• Hologymnosus annulatuswas formallydescribedin 1801 asLabrus annulatusbyBernard Germain de Lacépèdein Volume 3 of hisHistoire naturelle des poissonswith thetype localitygiven as Mauritius. Lacépède was following earlier work by Commerson.
• Trachinotus bailloniiwas formallydescribedin 1801 by theFrenchnaturalistBernard Germain de Lacépède(1726-1825) asCaesiomorus bailloni,the name having been written in a manuscript by Commerson, but was not formally published. The identity of the person nonoured in thespecific nameis not clear but is either the French naturalistLouis Antoine François Baillon(1778-1851), or his fatherJean François Emmanuel Baillon(1742-1801), who was also a naturalist.
• Artocarpus heterophylluswas named byJean-Baptiste Lamarck

Death

Commerson died at Mauritius at the age of 45. His extensive collections from the voyage did not, unfortunately, receive their deserved recognition. Although his numerous manuscripts and herbaria were brought to Paris after his death they were never systematically organized and evaluated.Unaware of his death in 1773, the Paris Academy of Sciences elected him as a fellow botanist just a few months later.

Taxon named in his honor

In 1786, botanistJean-Baptiste Lamarcknamed the generaCommersoniaandHumbertiain his honour.

In 1798, French naturalistBernard Germain de Lacépèdenamed the Giant FrogfishAntennarius commersonafter Commerson.

In 1800, Lacépède named a species ofmackerelof the familyScombridaefound in a wide-ranging area inSoutheast Asia,but as far west as the east coast ofAfricaand from theMiddle Eastand along the northern coastal areas of theIndian Ocean,and as far east as theSouth West PacificOcean, theNarrow-barred Spanish mackerel(Scomberomorus commerson) after Commerson.

In 1801,Pomadasys commersonniiwas first formallydescribedasLabrus commersonniiby Lacépède with thetype localitygiven asGrand golfe de l'Inde,interpreted as rivers of Madagascar.Thespecific namehonors Commerçon, whose name is sometimes spelled Commerson, Lacepède used Commerçon's drawings and notes to base his description on. The specific nameargenteusmeans “silver” and refers to the main colour of this species.

Also in 1801,Scomberoides commersonnianuswas formallydescribedby theFrenchzoologistBernard Germain de Lacépèdewith thetype localitygiven asFort Dauphinin theToliara Provinceof Madagascar.Thespecific nameuses theLatinsuffixianusmeaning "belonging to" and adds this to the surname of Commerçon, this also being spelled as Commerson, whose notes and illustration were used by Lacépède as the base for his description of the species.

White Sucker,Catostomus commersonii

In 1803, Lacépède named a species of North American freshwater fishCatostomus commersoniiin his honour.

Also in 1803, Lacépède named a species of anchovyStolephorus commersonniiafter Commerson.

In 1804, The dolphinCommerson's dolphin(Cephalorhynchus commersonii) is named by Lacépède after the French naturalist Commerson, who first described them in 1767 after sighting them in theStrait of Magellan.

In 1813,Étienne Geoffroy Saint-HilairedescribedCommerson's roundleaf bat(Macronycteris commersoni), also known asCommerson's leaf-nosed bat,which is a species of batendemictoMadagascar.It is named after French naturalist Philibert Commerson (1727-1773).

In 1836,Achille ValenciennesnamedHypostomus commersoniwhich is aspeciesofcatfishin the familyLoricariidae.It is native toSouth America,where it occurs in theParaná Riverdrainage, including theIguazu River,theParaguay River,theRío de la Plata,and theDulce River.It is typically found in rivers with muddy substrates and moderate currents.

In 1838,Eduard Rüppellnamed theBluespotted Cornetfish(Fistularia commersonii), also known asSmooth CornetfishorSmooth Flutemouth,which is amarine fishwhich belongs to thefamilyFistulariidaeafter Commerson.This very long and slender reef-dweller belongs to the sameorderas thepipefishesandseahorses,calledSyngnathiformes.

Synaptura commersonnii,Commerson's soleis named after him.

Cylindrocline commersoniiis a species offlowering plantin the familyAsteraceae,named after Commerson. It is found only inMauritius.Its naturalhabitatis subtropical or tropical dryforests.

Other Honors

Commerson Craterwhich is acalderain the mountains ofRéunionis named after him.

See also

• European and American voyages of scientific exploration
• French naturalists
• List of biologists

External links

• Media related toPhilibert Commersonat Wikimedia Commons