François Louis de la Porte, comte de Castelnau
Encyclopedia
François Louis Nompar de Caumont LaPorte, comte de Castelnau (25 December 1810 – 4 February 1880) was a French naturalist
, known also as François Laporte or Francis de Castelnau.
in Paris. From 1837 to 1841 he led a scientific expedition to Canada where he studied the fauna of the Canadian lakes and the political systems of Upper
and Lower Canada
(roughly corresponding to the modern provinces of Ontario
and Quebec
) and of the United States.
Castelnau, a French savant, was sent by Louis Philippe
, in 1843, with two botanists and a taxidermist, he crossed South America from Rio de Janeiro
to Lima
, following the watershed between the Amazon
and La Plata
river systems, and thence to Pará
. He was gone for five years.
He served as the French consul
in Bahia
in 1848; in Siam from 1848 until 1862, and in Melbourne, Australia from 1864 to 1877.
The genus Laportea
of tropical stinging trees is named after him.
", a supposed ganoid fish said to have been discovered in 1872 and named by Castelnau, was a joke originally directed at Karl Staiger
, the director of the Brisbane Museum. Staiger forwarded a sketch and description of the made-up fish to Castelnau, who duly described it.
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...
, known also as François Laporte or Francis de Castelnau.
Life
Born in London, he studied natural historyNatural 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...
in Paris. From 1837 to 1841 he led a scientific expedition to Canada where he studied the fauna of the Canadian lakes and the political systems of Upper
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
and Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
(roughly corresponding to the modern provinces of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
) and of the United States.
Castelnau, a French savant, was sent by Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe may refer to:*Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, last King of France*Prince Philippe, Count of Paris, called King Louis Philippe II by some factions*Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans*Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans...
, in 1843, with two botanists and a taxidermist, he crossed South America from Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, following the watershed between the Amazon
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
and La Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
river systems, and thence to Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
. He was gone for five years.
He served as the French consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
in Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
in 1848; in Siam from 1848 until 1862, and in Melbourne, Australia from 1864 to 1877.
The genus Laportea
Laportea
Laportea is a genus of plants in the family Urticaceae, named after French naturalist François Louis de la Porte, comte de Castelnau.They are herbaceous, either annual or perennial. Like many plants of the Urticaceae, they have stinging hairs, and have stinging and non-stinging hairs on the same...
of tropical stinging trees is named after him.
Hoax Australian fish
Through no fault of his own, Castelnau's name is attached to an Australian hoax. "Ompax spatuloidesOmpax spatuloides
The Ompax spatuloides was a hoax fish "discovered" in Australia in August, 1872. Said to be poisonous, it could be found on some lists of Australian fishes through the 1930s....
", a supposed ganoid fish said to have been discovered in 1872 and named by Castelnau, was a joke originally directed at Karl Staiger
Karl Theodor Staiger
Karl Theodor Staiger was a German chemical analyst, naturalist and museum curator.Karl Theodor Staiger worked as a chemist for the Queensland Government 1873-80 and worked with Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay...
, the director of the Brisbane Museum. Staiger forwarded a sketch and description of the made-up fish to Castelnau, who duly described it.
Works
- Histoire naturelle, 1837.
- Vues et souvenirs de l'Amérique du Nord
- Expédition dans les parties centrales de l'Amérique: histoire naturelle des insectes coléoptères, 1840.
- with Hippolyte Louis GoryHippolyte Louis Gory-Life:Hippolyte Louis Gory was born in Paris, 5th arrondissement the 27 September 1800 . He was married to Sophie Marie Sotom at Paris the 30th March 1826...
Histoire naturelle et iconographie des insectes coléoptères, publiée par monographies séparées, quatre monographies dont la première semble être la seule signée par Laporte (quatre tomes et sept volumes, P. Duménil, Paris, 1837–1841). - Mémoires sur les poissons de l'Afrique australe, 1843.