Émile-Eugène-Aldric Topsent (10 February 1862 – 22 September 1951) was a French
zoologist known for his research of
sponges. He was born in
Le Havre.[1]
During his career he worked in several laboratories and institutes in western France. From 1919 to 1927 he was
curator at the
zoological museum in
Strasbourg. In 1920 he was appointed chair of the Société zoologique de France.
Topsent described the Atlantic and Mediterranean
sponge collections of
Prince Albert I of Monaco in three volumes (1892, 1927 & 1928). He named numerous
taxa new to science, and his work is considered to be the basis for the modern classification system of
Porifera. One of his descriptions involved the
hexactinellid sponge Scolymastra joubini, a creature from Antarctic waters that is believed to have a lifespan of 10,000 years.[2]
Partial listing of publications
Contribution à l'étude des clionides, 1888. (Contribution to the study of
Clionaidae).
Resultats des Campagnes Scientifiques Accomplies sur son Yacht par Albert Ier Prince Souvrain de Monaco, 1892. (Results of the scientific campaign accomplished by Prince Albert I of Monaco).
Contribution à l'étude des spongiaires de l'Atlantique North, 1892. (Contribution to the study of sponges from the North Atlantic).
Spongiaires des Açores, 1904. (Sponges of the
Azores).
Expédition Antarctique française 1903-1905, Dr. Jean Charcot commandée par le. Sciences naturelles, documents scientifiques. Spongiaires et coelentérés, 1908. (1903-1905 French Antarctic Expedition, led by
Jean-Baptiste Charcot.
Natural sciences, scientific documents. Sponges and
coelenterata).
Spongiaires provenant campagnes des scientifiques de la Princesse Alice dans les mers du Nord, 1898-1899, 1906-1907, 1913. (Sponges from scientific cruises of the Princess Alice in the
North Sea 1898–1899, 1906–1907).
Étude de spongiaires du Golfe de Naples, 1925. (Study of sponges from the
Gulf of Naples).
Diagnoses of éponges nouvelles recueillies par le Prince Albert I of Monaco, 1927. (New diagnoses of sponges collected by Prince Albert I of Monaco).
Spongiaires de l'Atlantique et de la Méditerranée des provenant Croisières du Prince Albert I of Monaco, 1928. (Sponges from the Atlantic and
Mediterranean cruises of Prince Albert I of Monaco).
Aperçu de la faune des Eponges Calcaires de la Méditerranée, 1934. (Overview on the fauna of
calcareous sponges from the Mediterranean).[3][4]
Guide pour la connaissance d'éponges de la Méditerranée tableaux de corrections apportées aux mémoires d'O. Schmidt sur le sujet 1862, 1864, 1868, 1945. (Guide to the knowledge of sponges from the Mediterranean in regards to the work of
Eduard Oscar Schmidt).
References
Petymol (taxa) (biographical information and list of species named after Topsent)
Parts of this article are based on a translation of equivalent articles at the German and French Wikipedia.
^[1] Catalogue des theses de sciences soutenues en France by Albert Maire
^[2] Genomics.senescence An age entry for Scolymastra joubini
Émile-Eugène-Aldric Topsent (10 February 1862 – 22 September 1951) was a French
zoologist known for his research of
sponges. He was born in
Le Havre.[1]
During his career he worked in several laboratories and institutes in western France. From 1919 to 1927 he was
curator at the
zoological museum in
Strasbourg. In 1920 he was appointed chair of the Société zoologique de France.
Topsent described the Atlantic and Mediterranean
sponge collections of
Prince Albert I of Monaco in three volumes (1892, 1927 & 1928). He named numerous
taxa new to science, and his work is considered to be the basis for the modern classification system of
Porifera. One of his descriptions involved the
hexactinellid sponge Scolymastra joubini, a creature from Antarctic waters that is believed to have a lifespan of 10,000 years.[2]
Partial listing of publications
Contribution à l'étude des clionides, 1888. (Contribution to the study of
Clionaidae).
Resultats des Campagnes Scientifiques Accomplies sur son Yacht par Albert Ier Prince Souvrain de Monaco, 1892. (Results of the scientific campaign accomplished by Prince Albert I of Monaco).
Contribution à l'étude des spongiaires de l'Atlantique North, 1892. (Contribution to the study of sponges from the North Atlantic).
Spongiaires des Açores, 1904. (Sponges of the
Azores).
Expédition Antarctique française 1903-1905, Dr. Jean Charcot commandée par le. Sciences naturelles, documents scientifiques. Spongiaires et coelentérés, 1908. (1903-1905 French Antarctic Expedition, led by
Jean-Baptiste Charcot.
Natural sciences, scientific documents. Sponges and
coelenterata).
Spongiaires provenant campagnes des scientifiques de la Princesse Alice dans les mers du Nord, 1898-1899, 1906-1907, 1913. (Sponges from scientific cruises of the Princess Alice in the
North Sea 1898–1899, 1906–1907).
Étude de spongiaires du Golfe de Naples, 1925. (Study of sponges from the
Gulf of Naples).
Diagnoses of éponges nouvelles recueillies par le Prince Albert I of Monaco, 1927. (New diagnoses of sponges collected by Prince Albert I of Monaco).
Spongiaires de l'Atlantique et de la Méditerranée des provenant Croisières du Prince Albert I of Monaco, 1928. (Sponges from the Atlantic and
Mediterranean cruises of Prince Albert I of Monaco).
Aperçu de la faune des Eponges Calcaires de la Méditerranée, 1934. (Overview on the fauna of
calcareous sponges from the Mediterranean).[3][4]
Guide pour la connaissance d'éponges de la Méditerranée tableaux de corrections apportées aux mémoires d'O. Schmidt sur le sujet 1862, 1864, 1868, 1945. (Guide to the knowledge of sponges from the Mediterranean in regards to the work of
Eduard Oscar Schmidt).
References
Petymol (taxa) (biographical information and list of species named after Topsent)
Parts of this article are based on a translation of equivalent articles at the German and French Wikipedia.
^[1] Catalogue des theses de sciences soutenues en France by Albert Maire
^[2] Genomics.senescence An age entry for Scolymastra joubini