Francis Polkinghorne Pascoe
Encyclopedia
Francis Polkinghorne Pascoe (September 1, 1813- June 20, 1893) was a Cornish
entomologist
mainly interested in Coleoptera.
Cornwall
and trained at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Appointed surgeon in the Navy
he served on Australia
n, West Indian and Mediterranean stations. He married a Miss Mary Glasson of Cornwall
and settled at Trewhiddle
near St Austell
where his wife's property produced china clay. Widowed in 1851 he settled in London
devoting himself to natural history
and entomology
in particular. The results of collecting trips to Europe
, North Africa
and the Lower Amazons
were poor and Pascoe worked mainly on insects collected by others. His entomological papers listed and described species collected by Alfred Russel Wallace
(in Longicornia Malayana) , Robert Templeton
and other assiduous collectors but not prolific writers on systematic
entomology. He became a Fellow of the Entomological Society
in 1854, was president from 1864-1865, a Member of the Société Entomologique de France
and belonged to the Belgian and Stettin
Societies. He was also a Fellow of the Linnean Society (elected 1852) and was on the Council of the Ray Society
. His 2,500 types are in the Natural History Museum
, London
.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
entomologist
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
mainly interested in Coleoptera.
Biography
He was born in PenzancePenzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and trained at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Appointed surgeon in the Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
he served on Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n, West Indian and Mediterranean stations. He married a Miss Mary Glasson of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and settled at Trewhiddle
Trewhiddle
Trewhiddle is a small settlement in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It lies in the civil parish of Pentewan Valley and the ecclesiastical parish of St Austell. The nearest town is St Austell, approximately one mile to the north.-Manor of Trewhiddle:...
near St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
where his wife's property produced china clay. Widowed in 1851 he settled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
devoting himself to natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
in particular. The results of collecting trips to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and the Lower Amazons
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
were poor and Pascoe worked mainly on insects collected by others. His entomological papers listed and described species collected by Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist...
(in Longicornia Malayana) , Robert Templeton
Robert Templeton
Robert Templeton was a Naturalist, artist, and entomologist, and was born at Cranmore House, Belfast, Ireland.-Life and work:...
and other assiduous collectors but not prolific writers on systematic
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
entomology. He became a Fellow of the Entomological Society
Royal Entomological Society of London
The Royal Entomological Society of London is devoted to insect study. It has a major national and international role in disseminating information about insects and improving communication between entomologists....
in 1854, was president from 1864-1865, a Member of the Société Entomologique de France
Société entomologique de France
The Société entomologique de France, or French Entomological Society, is devoted to the study of insects. It was founded in 1832.The society was created by eighteen Parisian entomologists on January 31, 1832...
and belonged to the Belgian and Stettin
Stettin Entomological Society
The Entomological Society of Stettin or Stettin Entomological Society, based in Stettin , was one of the leading entomological societies of the 19th century. Most German entomologists were members, as were many from England, Sweden, Italy, France, and Spain...
Societies. He was also a Fellow of the Linnean Society (elected 1852) and was on the Council of the Ray Society
Ray Society
The Ray Society was instituted in 1844 and named after John Ray, the 17th century naturalist, as a scientific publishing organization whose activities are devoted mainly to the British flora and fauna. So far the Ray Society has published 169 volumes...
. His 2,500 types are in the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Works
- 1858 On new genera and species of longicorn Coleoptera. Part III Trans. Entomol. Soc. London, (2)4:236-266.
- 1859 On some new genera and species of longicorn Coleoptera. Part IV.Trans.Entomol. Soc. London, (2)5:12-61.
- 1860 Notices of new or little-known genera and species of Coleoptera. J.Entomol., 1(1):36-64.
- 1860 Notices of new or little-known genera and species of Coleoptera, pt.II. J. Entomol., 1(2):98-131.
- 1862 Notices of new or little-known genera and species of Coleoptera. J.Entomol., 1:319-370.
- 1864-1869 Longicornia Malayana; or a descriptive catalogue of the species of the three longicorn families Lamiidae, Cerambycidae and Prionidae collected by Mr. A. R. Wallace in the Malay Archipelago. Trans.Entomol. Soc. London, (3)3:17-12.
- 1866 List of the Longicornia collected by the late Mr. P. Bouchard, at Santa Marta. Trans. Entomol. Soc. London, 5(3):279-296.
- 1867 Diagnostic characters of some new genera and species of Prionidae.Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (3)19:410-413
- 1875 Notes on Coleoptera, with descriptions of new genera and species. Part III. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4)15:59-73.