Early (17th and 18th centuries) drawings of lantern‑flies and mentions of their bioluminescence (Fulgora spp., Hemiptera, Homoptera, Fulgoridae)

Authors

  • Nelson Papavero Universidade de São Paulo (USP) Museu de Zoologia (MZUSP)
  • Dante Martins Teixeira Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Museu Nacional (MNRJ)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2176-7793.v48i1p95-113

Keywords:

Fulgora, Early drawings, Jacques de Heyn, Pieter Holstejn, Alexander Marshal, Iob Leutholf, Anonymous artist, 17th and 18th centuries, Bioluminescence

Abstract

For many years, it was believed that the first two notices about New World lantern-flies (Fulgoridae), with descriptions and illustrations of the insects, as well as mentions of their luminescence, were due to Nehemiah Grey (1681) and Maria Sibylla Merian (1705). However, there are illustrations of lantern-flies prior to Grew’s paper, and the first of them, by Jacques de Heyn (1620), also refers to the bioluminescence of those insects. The second is a watercolour by Pieter Holstejn (1614‑1673), a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver. Several illustrations of lantern-flies were lately produced during the 17th and 18th centuries, for example by Alexander Marshal (ca. 1620‑1682), an English entomologist, gardener, and botanical artist, by Iob Leutholf (1694), and also by an anonymous artist (first half of the 18th century).

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Author Biographies

  • Nelson Papavero, Universidade de São Paulo (USP) Museu de Zoologia (MZUSP)
    Avenida Nazaré, 481, Ipiranga, CEP 04263‑000, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
  • Dante Martins Teixeira, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Museu Nacional (MNRJ)
    Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, CEP 20940‑040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.

References

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Published

2017-12-20

Issue

Section

Original Article

How to Cite

Papavero, N., & Teixeira, D. M. (2017). Early (17th and 18th centuries) drawings of lantern‑flies and mentions of their bioluminescence (Fulgora spp., Hemiptera, Homoptera, Fulgoridae). Arquivos De Zoologia, 48(3), 95-113. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2176-7793.v48i1p95-113