Jacques Vladimir von Bedriaga; (last name sometimes spelled Bedryagha) (1854-1906) was a Russian herpetologist who was a native of the village Kriniz. He studied sciences at Moscow University under the direction of Anatoli Bogdanov (1834-1896), and afterwards moved to Germany, where he studied at the University of Jena with Ernst Haeckel

Ernst Haeckel

The "European War" became known as "The Great War", and it was not until 1920, in the book "The First World War 1914-1918" by Charles à Court Repington, that the term "First World War" was used as the official name for the conflict.-Research:...

 (1834-1919) and Carl Gegenbaur (1826-1903). In 1875 he obtained his doctorate with a thesis concerning the urogenital organs of reptiles.

After graduation, Bedriaga continued his research on reptiles with Gegenbaur, and made frequent scientific trips to regions around the Mediterranean

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

. In 1880 he published an important work on Greek herpetology called Die Amphibien und Reptilien Griechenlands. He also made occasional visits back to Russia, where he studied collections reported from Russian expeditions to Central Asia, including those of Nikolai Przewalski (1839-1888). In 1881 he moved to Nice

Nice

Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

 for reasons of health, and later lived in Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

, where he died in 1906.

Bedriaga has a handful of herpetological species named after him, including Bedriaga's Rock Lizard

Bedriaga's Rock Lizard

The Bedriaga's Rock Lizard, Archaeolacerta bedriagae, is a species of lizard in the Lacertidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Archaeolacerta....

, Bedriaga's Fringe-fingered Lizard

Bedriaga's Fringe-fingered Lizard

Bedriaga's Fringe-fingered Lizard is a species of lizard in the Lacertidae family.It is endemic to Algeria.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland....

, Bedriaga's Skink

Chalcides bedriagai

The Bedriaga's Skink is a species of skink found on the Iberian Peninsula. It usually lives in sandy areas with sparse vegetation and good ground cover. It can also live in open woodland and burrow into loose soil. Females of the species give birth to live young. It has at least one major...

, and Rana bedriagae (Levant Water Frog

Levant Water Frog

The Levant Water Frog , formerly belonging to the genus Rana, is a southern European species of frog. They are green to brown in color with dark blotches on their dorsal side. They are cousins of the aquatic frogs and live most of the time in the water. They are not poisonous and are quite...

).

Selected publications

• Ueber die Entstehung der Farben bei den Eidechsen (About the emergence of color in lizards) 1874
• Die Amphibien und Reptilien Griechenlands (The Amphibians and Reptiles of Greece) 1880
• Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Amphibien und Reptilien der Fauna von Corsika (Contributions to the Knowledge of Amphibians and Reptiles of Corsica) 1883
• Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Lacertiden-Familie. (Lacerta, Algiroides, Tropidosaura, Zerzumia und Bettaia) (Contributions to the Knowledge of the Lacertiden Family) 1886
• Wissenschaftliche Resultate der von N. M. Przewalski nach Central-Asien untemammenen Reisen