Willy Kükenthal
Encyclopedia
Willy Georg Kükenthal was a German zoologist who was a native of Weißenfels
.
He was a student at the Universities of Munich and Jena, earning his doctorate at the latter institution in 1884. In 1889 he became a professor of zoology at Jena
, and in 1898 was a professor of comparative anatomy
and zoology at the University of Breslau and director of the zoological museum. In 1911-12 he was a visiting professor at the University of Cambridge
, and afterwards a professor at the University of Berlin and director of the zoological museum. In 1918-19 he was president of the German Zoological Society.
In 1889 Kükenthal participated on a scientific expedition to Svalbard
on behalf of the Bremen
Geographical Society, and in 1894 did zoological research in the Malay archipelago
and northern Moluccas. He specialized in the study of Octocorallia, a subclass of Anthozoa
that consists of sea pen
s, sea fan
s and soft corals. His large collection of zoological specimens is now housed at the Senckenberg Museum
in Frankfurt
.
He has over twenty zoological species named after him, including Hemirhamphodon
kuekenthali (Kuekenthal's halfbeak
), Parantica
kuekenthali (Kuekenthal's yellow tiger
) and Lysmata kuekenthali (Kuekenthal's cleaner shrimp
). Also, Kükenthaløya, a small island located between Spitsbergen
and Barentsøya
is named in his honor.
Weißenfels
Weißenfels is the largest town of the Burgenlandkreis district, in southern Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Saale, approximately south of Halle.-History:...
.
He was a student at the Universities of Munich and Jena, earning his doctorate at the latter institution in 1884. In 1889 he became a professor of zoology at Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
, and in 1898 was a professor of comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of organisms. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny .-Description:...
and zoology at the University of Breslau and director of the zoological museum. In 1911-12 he was a visiting professor at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and afterwards a professor at the University of Berlin and director of the zoological museum. In 1918-19 he was president of the German Zoological Society.
In 1889 Kükenthal participated on a scientific expedition to Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
on behalf of the Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
Geographical Society, and in 1894 did zoological research in the Malay archipelago
Malay Archipelago
The Malay Archipelago refers to the archipelago between mainland Southeastern Asia and Australia. The name was derived from the anachronistic concept of a Malay race....
and northern Moluccas. He specialized in the study of Octocorallia, a subclass of Anthozoa
Anthozoa
Anthozoa is a class within the phylum Cnidaria that contains the sea anemones and corals. Unlike other cnidarians, anthozoans do not have a medusa stage in their development. Instead, they release sperm and eggs that form a planula, which attaches to some substrate on which the cnidarian grows...
that consists of sea pen
Sea pen
Sea pens are colonial marine cnidarians belonging to the order Pennatulacea. There are 14 families within the order; they are thought to have a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and temperate waters worldwide...
s, sea fan
Sea fan
A gorgonian, also known as sea whip or sea fan, is an order of sessile colonial cnidarian found throughout the oceans of the world, especially in the tropics and subtropics. Gorgonians are similar to the sea pen, another soft coral. Individual tiny polyps form colonies that are normally erect,...
s and soft corals. His large collection of zoological specimens is now housed at the Senckenberg Museum
Senckenberg Museum
The Naturmuseum Senckenberg in Frankfurt is the second largest museum of natural history in Germany. It is particularly popular with children, who enjoy the extensive collection of dinosaur skeletons: Senckenberg boasts the largest exhibition of large dinosaurs in Europe. One particular treasure is...
in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
.
He has over twenty zoological species named after him, including Hemirhamphodon
Hemirhamphodon
Hemirhamphodon is a genus of halfbeak found in peaty and lowland forest streams in Southeast Asia. Six species are known, all relatively small, the largest species being about 10 cm in length...
kuekenthali (Kuekenthal's halfbeak
Halfbeak
The halfbeaks are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. The family Hemiramphidae is divided into two subfamilies, the primarily marine Hemiramphinae and the freshwater or estuarine Zenarchopterinae...
), Parantica
Parantica
Parantica, commonly called Tigers, is an Old World genus of butterflies in subfamily Danainae of family Nymphalidae. They are found in southeastern Asia, Indonesia, Papua-New Guinea, and the Philippines...
kuekenthali (Kuekenthal's yellow tiger
Kuekenthal's Yellow Tiger
The Kuekenthal's Yellow Tiger is a species of nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is endemic to Indonesia.-Source:* Lepidoptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 31 July 2007....
) and Lysmata kuekenthali (Kuekenthal's cleaner shrimp
Cleaner shrimp
Cleaner shrimp is a generic term for any swimming decapod crustacean that cleans other organisms of parasites. This is a widely-cited example of symbiosis: a relationship in which both parties benefit. The fish benefit by having parasites removed from them, and the shrimp gain the nutritional value...
). Also, Kükenthaløya, a small island located between Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
and Barentsøya
Barentsøya
Barents Island is one of the smaller islands in the Svalbard archipelago, lying between Edge Island and Spitsbergen. Barents Island has no permanent human inhabitants. Named for the Dutch explorer Willem Barents , it is a part of Norway.An Arctic island, around 43 per cent its area of is glaciated...
is named in his honor.
Selected publications
- Handbuch der Zoologie
- Leitfaden für das Zoologische Praktikum (1898)
- Australien, Ozeanien und Polarländer (1902, 1910; with Wilhelm SieversWilhelm SieversFriedrich Wilhelm Sievers was a German geologist and geographer. He served as professor of geography at the university of Giessen.Sievers was born into a merchant family in Hamburg...
in Sievers’ Allgemeinen Länderkunde)