Friedrich Christian Meuschen (September 15, 1719 - February 20, 1811) was a German diplomat and conchologist born in Hanau

Hanau

Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :...

. He was the son of theologian Johann Gerhard Meuschen

Johann Gerhard Meuschen

Johann Gerhard Meuschen was a German Lutheran theologian born in Osnabrück. He was the father of conchologist Friedrich Christian Meuschen....

 (1680–1743).

Meuschen was a diplomatic representative in The Hague

The Hague

The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...

, where he served as a liaison secretary. He was also a merchant of shells

Seashell

A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...

 and other objects of 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...

. From 1766 to 1778 he catalogued numerous natural history collections, and published his findings in an 8-volume work titled Miscellanea Conchyliologica. He died in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

.

The fish genus Meuschenia is named in his honor by Australian ichthyologist Gilbert Percy Whitley

Gilbert Percy Whitley

Gilbert Percy Whitley was a British-born Australian ichthyologist and malacologist who was Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum in Sydney for about 40 years. He was born at Swaythling, Southampton, England, and was educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton and Osborne House...

(1903–1975).