Richard Henry Beddome
Encyclopedia
Colonel Richard Henry Beddome (11 May 1830 – 23 February 1911) was a British
military officer in India
, chief conservator of the Madras Forest Department
and a naturalist
. He described many species of plants and reptiles from India, several of which bear his name.
, S.W., He was educated at Charterhouse School
. He first studied for the legal profession, but he could not get interested in it and preferred a life abroad.
's service, and sent to India was posted to the 42nd Madras Native Infantry He was with that regiment at Jabalpur in 1856, serving as Quartermaster
and Interpreter of the regiment and from there he went to Secunderabad
. Soon after his arrival at Madras, at the end of 1856, he was appointed to the Madras Forest Department
, and never rejoined his regiment.
The following are dates of his commissions: Ensign 20 January 1848; Lieutenant l0th November, 1853; Captain 18 February 1861; Major 20 January 1868; Lieut.-Colonel 20 January 1874; Colonel 20 January 1879.
and natural history
as an assistant to Dr Hugh Cleghorn
, the first conservator of the newly formed Forest Department of the Madras Presidency
. He succeeded Cleghorn in 1859 and remained Chief Conservator until 1882.
in 1880. He made many floral studies in India and Ceylon including Trees of the Madras Presidency in 1863 and Handbook of the ferns of British India, Ceylon and Malaya Peninsula in 1892. He also studied reptile
s, amphibian
s and molluscs.
Colonel Beddome was essentially a botanist. In the study of the flora of South India
he devoted the best days of his life. The result was the publication of a series of valuable works containing figures of many species. The drawings were executed with great accuracy by the native draughtsmen he had trained to draw.
More of his botanical publications are: Flora Sylvatica fur Southern India, 1869–73; Ferns of Southern India, 1873; Ferns of British India, 1876; Forester's Manual of Botany for Southern India, 1869–74; Icones Plantarum Indies Orientalis, 1874.
On Reptilia and Batrachians he wrote at least fifteen papers, and described over 40 new species of reptiles and amphibians. The following is a complete list of his papers on Mollusca
: Descriptions of some new Operculated Land-shells from Southern India and Ceylon, 1S75. Descriptions of Land-shells from the lsland of Koror, Pelew Group, 1889. Descriptions of some new Land-shells from the Indian Region, 1891. Notes on Indian and Ceylonese species of Glessula, 1906. Descriptions of Labyrinthus cuclausus
and Neocyclotus
Belli, n.spp., from Colombia, 1908 and in conjunction with H. H. Godwin-Austen
: New species of Cyclophorus
and a Spiraculum from the Khasi and Naga Hills, Assam.
Beddome first published and described of over 1,000 species of animals and plants.
Beddome formed a fine collection of land shells from India and other parts of the world, among which the minute forms, were his favourites. His collection of specimens were presented to the British Museum
at difficult times and some were also left with the Indian Museum
at Calcutta.
He retired in 1892 and died at Wandsworth
. South London
,
Some of the species named in honor him are listed below:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
military officer in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, chief conservator of the Madras Forest Department
Tamil Nadu Forest Department
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department was established as the Madras Forest Department in 1855 by Dr. Hugh Francis Cleghorn, "the father of scientific forestry in India". The department is responsible for managing all the protected areas and forests plus environmental and wildlife related issues of Tamil...
and a naturalist
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...
. He described many species of plants and reptiles from India, several of which bear his name.
Early life
He was the eldest son of Richard Boswell Brandon Beddome, solicitor, of Clapham CommonClapham Common
Clapham Common is an 89 hectare triangular area of grassland situated in south London, England. It was historically common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, but was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878.43 hectares of the common are within the...
, S.W., He was educated at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
. He first studied for the legal profession, but he could not get interested in it and preferred a life abroad.
Military career
He entered the Army, obtaining a direct cadetship in 1848 in the East India CompanyEast India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
's service, and sent to India was posted to the 42nd Madras Native Infantry He was with that regiment at Jabalpur in 1856, serving as Quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
and Interpreter of the regiment and from there he went to Secunderabad
Secunderabad
Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...
. Soon after his arrival at Madras, at the end of 1856, he was appointed to the Madras Forest Department
Tamil Nadu Forest Department
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department was established as the Madras Forest Department in 1855 by Dr. Hugh Francis Cleghorn, "the father of scientific forestry in India". The department is responsible for managing all the protected areas and forests plus environmental and wildlife related issues of Tamil...
, and never rejoined his regiment.
The following are dates of his commissions: Ensign 20 January 1848; Lieutenant l0th November, 1853; Captain 18 February 1861; Major 20 January 1868; Lieut.-Colonel 20 January 1874; Colonel 20 January 1879.
Madras Forest Department
In 1857 he was selected on account of his devotion to botanyBotany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and 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...
as an assistant to Dr Hugh Cleghorn
Hugh Francis Cleghorn
Hugh Francis Clarke Cleghorn of Stravithie was a pioneering Scottish physician, botanist and forester who worked in India...
, the first conservator of the newly formed Forest Department of the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
. He succeeded Cleghorn in 1859 and remained Chief Conservator until 1882.
Botanist, Herpetologist, Malacologist
He became a member of the University of MadrasUniversity of Madras
The University of Madras is a public research university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three oldest universities in India...
in 1880. He made many floral studies in India and Ceylon including Trees of the Madras Presidency in 1863 and Handbook of the ferns of British India, Ceylon and Malaya Peninsula in 1892. He also studied reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s, amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s and molluscs.
Colonel Beddome was essentially a botanist. In the study of the flora of South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
he devoted the best days of his life. The result was the publication of a series of valuable works containing figures of many species. The drawings were executed with great accuracy by the native draughtsmen he had trained to draw.
More of his botanical publications are: Flora Sylvatica fur Southern India, 1869–73; Ferns of Southern India, 1873; Ferns of British India, 1876; Forester's Manual of Botany for Southern India, 1869–74; Icones Plantarum Indies Orientalis, 1874.
On Reptilia and Batrachians he wrote at least fifteen papers, and described over 40 new species of reptiles and amphibians. The following is a complete list of his papers on Mollusca
Mollusca
The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...
: Descriptions of some new Operculated Land-shells from Southern India and Ceylon, 1S75. Descriptions of Land-shells from the lsland of Koror, Pelew Group, 1889. Descriptions of some new Land-shells from the Indian Region, 1891. Notes on Indian and Ceylonese species of Glessula, 1906. Descriptions of Labyrinthus cuclausus
Tomigerus clausus
Tomigerus clausus is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Orthalicidae.- Anatomy :Anatomy of Tomigerus clausus was examined by Harold Heath in 1914....
and Neocyclotus
Neocyclotidae
Neocyclotidae is a family of tropical land snails with gills and an operculum, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the informal group Architaenioglossa belonging to the clade Caenogastropoda .-Subfamilies:Subfamilies within the family Neocyclotidae include:* subfamily Neocyclotinae Kobelt &...
Belli, n.spp., from Colombia, 1908 and in conjunction with H. H. Godwin-Austen
Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen
Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen FRS FZS FRGS MBOU , was an English topographer, geologist and surveyor.The eldest son of Robert Alfred Cloyne Godwin-Austen, Godwin-Austen was born in Teignmouth...
: New species of Cyclophorus
Cyclophorus
Cyclophorus may be:* Cyclophorus , a genus of tropical land snail in family Cyclophoridae* Cyclophorus , a genus of ferns...
and a Spiraculum from the Khasi and Naga Hills, Assam.
Beddome first published and described of over 1,000 species of animals and plants.
Beddome formed a fine collection of land shells from India and other parts of the world, among which the minute forms, were his favourites. His collection of specimens were presented to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
at difficult times and some were also left with the Indian Museum
Indian Museum
The Indian Museum is the largest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings...
at Calcutta.
He retired in 1892 and died at Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
. South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
,
Eponymous species
- Rhinolophus beddomei, Lesser Woolly Horseshoe Bat, a species of bat in the Rhinolophidae family
- Cnemaspis beddomeiCnemaspis beddomeiBeddome's day gecko Cnemaspis beddomei is a species of gecko found in the Western Ghats. Named after Richard Henry Beddome, 1830-1911, British army officer and botanist.-Distribution:Type locality: Tinnevelly and Travancore Hills...
, Beddome's day gecko, a species of geckoGeckoGeckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....
found in the Western GhatsWestern GhatsThe Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
. - Boiga beddomeiBoiga beddomeiBeddome's cat snake, Boiga beddomei, is a species of colubrid snake found in Sri Lanka and India . It was named after Richard Henry Beddome , British army officer and botanist.-References:* Whitaker, Romulus and Ashok Captain 2004 Snakes of India. Draco Books, 500 pp.* Wall,F...
, Beddome's Cat Snake, a species of snake found in Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(Western Ghats) - Scincella beddomeiScincella beddomeiScincella beddomei is a species of skink.Distribution:India -References:* Boulenger, G. A. 1887 Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum III. Lacertidae, Gerrhosauridae, Scincidae, Anelytropsidae, Dibamidae, Chamaeleontidae. London: 575pp.* Eremchenko, V. K & I...
, a species of skinkSkinkSkinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
. - Typhlops beddomeiTyphlops beddomeiTyphlops beddomei is a taxonomic synonym that may refer to:* Typhlops beddomii, a.k.a. Beddome's worm snake, a harmless blind snake species found in southern India....
, Beddome's worm snake, a species of blind snake found in southern India. - Ophisops beddomeiOphisops beddomeiBeddome's Snake-Eye is a species of lizard found in the Western Ghats of India.-Description:Very similar to Ophisops jerdonii. Two or three fronto-nasals on a transverse line; one or two azygos prefrontals nearly always present; first and fourth supra-oculars usually broken up into several very...
, Beddome's Snake-Eye, a species of lizard in LacertidaeLacertidaeLacertidae is the family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. The group includes the genus Lacerta, which contains some of the most commonly seen lizard species in Europe...
family found in the Western GhatsWestern GhatsThe Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
of IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. - Amphiesma beddomeiAmphiesma beddomeiThe Nilgiri keelback is a species of snake found in the Western Ghats in India.The species is named after Richard Henry Beddome, 1830–1911, British army officer and botanist....
, Nilgiri Keelback, a species of snake found in the Western GhatsWestern GhatsThe Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
in India. - Calliophis beddomei, Beddome's Coral Snake, snake in the ElapidaeElapidaeElapidae is a family of venomous snakes found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, terrestrially in Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and South America and aquatically in the Pacific and Indian Oceans...
family. - Ichthyophis beddomeiIchthyophis beddomeiIchthyophis beddomei, sometimes called Beddome's caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. Its body is dark violet-brown, becoming light brown ventrally. There is a yellow lateral stripe from head to tail tip. Upper lip and lower jaw also yellow in colour. The stripe...
, Beddome's caecilian, a species of caecilianCaecilianThe caecilians are an order of amphibians that superficially resemble earthworms or snakes. They mostly live hidden in the ground, making them the least familiar order of amphibians. All extant caecilians and their closest fossil relatives are grouped as the clade Apoda. They are mostly...
in the family IchthyophiidaeIchthyophiidaeIchthyophiidae is the family of Asiatic tailed caecilians or fish caecilians. They are found in south-east Asia.They are primitive caecilians, lacking many of the derived characters found in the other families. For example, the mouth is not recessed underneath the head, they possess tails, and have...
. - Mariaella beddomeiMariaella beddomeiMariaella beddomei is a species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Ariophantidae.The specific name is in honor of Richard Henry Beddome.- Distribution :This species lives in India...
, Gastropods - Hemiplecta beddomii, Gastropods
- Cycas beddomeiCycas beddomeiCycas beddomei is a species of cycad in the genus Cycas, native to India, where it is confined to a small area of Andhra Pradesh state in the Cuddapah Hills in scrubland and brush covered hills....
, CycadCycadCycads are seed plants typically characterized by a stout and woody trunk with a crown of large, hard and stiff, evergreen leaves. They usually have pinnate leaves. The individual plants are either all male or all female . Cycads vary in size from having a trunk that is only a few centimeters...
from India. - Syzygium beddomeiSyzygium beddomeiSyzygium beddomei is a species of plant in the Myrtaceae family. It is endemic to India.-References:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
, a species of plant in the MyrtaceaeMyrtaceaeThe Myrtaceae or Myrtle family are a family of dicotyledon plants, placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, allspice, and eucalyptus belong here. All species are woody, with essential oils, and flower parts in multiples of four or five...
family. It is endemic to India. - Cynometra beddomeiCynometra beddomeiCynometra beddomei was a species of legume in the Fabaceae family.It was found only in India.It was threatened by habitat loss.-Sources:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
, a species of plant in the FabaceaeFabaceaeThe Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
family. It is endemic to India . - Psychotria beddomeiPsychotria beddomeiPsychotria beddomei is a species of plant in the Rubiaceae family. It is endemic to India.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
, a species of plant in the RubiaceaeRubiaceaeThe Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
family. It is endemic to India . - Litsea beddomeiLitsea beddomeiLitsea beddomei is a species of plant in the Lauraceae family. It is endemic to India.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
, a species of plant in the LauraceaeLauraceaeThe Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
family. It is endemic to India.
External links
- Handbook to the ferns of British India (1892)
- Muthiah, S. 2011. A herpetologist remembered. The Hindu. April 10, 2011. Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. http://thehindu.com/arts/history-and-culture/article1680077.ece (photograph and biography of Beddome)