Favnae Insectorvm

Favnae insectorvm Germanicae initia, oder, Deutschlands Insecten is a key late 18th- to early 19th-century entomological work published in monthly instalments (fascicles). It was authored by physician and entomologist Georg Wolfgang Franz Panzer (1755-1829), with hand coloured copper engravings by botanical illustrator Jakob Sturm (1771-1848). The publication documents German insect species within a central European context. Panzer and Sturm produced 109 fascicles between 1792 and 1813. UNSW Library holds an incomplete set of this original work in its collection. The project was later continued by physician and entomologist Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich Schäffer (1799-1874) in collaboration with Sturm, producing a further 80 fascicles between 1829 and 1844. This structure of serial instalments released over time by multiple authors, rather than a single definitive work, reflects the post-Enlightenment era, in which the cataloguing of nature was understood as an ongoing and evolving process.

Taxonomy is the practice of classifying lifeforms within an ordered, hierarchical structure that includes broad groupings and individual species. Favnae insectorvm reflects the function of taxonomy during its time, when classification focused on observable physical attributes that could be studied and compared. Morphology — the study of form — was a fundamental aspect of taxonomy in this period, making visual material and detailed descriptions a main source of taxonomic evidence. Reflecting an essentialist approach to defining species, the publication categorises lifeforms by fixed characteristics, with major deviations necessitating the creation of new species. These understandings predate Darwinian theories on evolution and knowledge of genetics and DNA sequencing, and they did not always consider behaviour as an important aspect of taxonomic categorisation.

Panzer identifies each insect using a two-part Latin name consisting of genus and species, accompanied by concise morphological descriptions. This system, known as binomial nomenclature, was developed by Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) and structured classification according to hierarchical similarities. Although this framework provided standardisation, taxonomy during this period remained a working system, with different entomologists publishing alternative descriptors simultaneously. The Linnaean system of binomial nomenclature is still in use today, but only as a framework. This system now incorporates scientific developments in genealogy, evolutionary theory, and molecular biology. There is also a global standardisation of binomial nomenclature, regulated through the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN).

Biological classification in the post-Enlightenment era focused on grouping organisms by visible physical traits into fixed categories, reflecting a belief in stable, unchanging species. Today, classification is more dynamic, using evolutionary relationships, genetics, and molecular data to understand how species change over time, making taxonomy a continually evolving system rather than a fixed structure.

• To what extent does Favnae insectorvm reveal post-Enlightenment ethical assumptions about humanity’s authority over nature, and how are these reflected in its methods of classification and representation?
• Many of the Linnaean classifications used in Favnae insectorvm are no longer considered valid scientific names or recognised under current global standards. Compare these historical classifications with their contemporary accepted names, and analyse what these differences reveal about changing understandings of the species.
• Research the transition of entomology shifting from a curiosity to a science collected in museums and supported by societies.

Baron Charles Athanase Walckenaer (1771-1852) was a prominent French scientist, renowned for his foundational work in entomology, specifically arachnology (the study of arachnids). Walckenaer produced a similar work published in five instalments called Histoire naturelle des aranéides (1806-1808), of which a near-complete set is in the UNSW Library collection. These fascicles contain detailed descriptions and coloured plates of arachnids, illustrated by various uncredited artists, to assist with identification. Both resources would have influenced public perception by making nature seem accessible, systematic, and worthy of study.

• Compare how the images in Favnae insectorvm and Histoire naturelle des aranéides illustrate the behavioural attributes of species. How do these approaches reflect priorities in scientific observation?
• With technological advancements such as high-speed cameras, electron microscopes, infrared imaging, and data logging sensors expanding contemporary entomological observation, what scientific value do early natural history illustrations hold?
• Both resources were collectable items. How do you think they were originally used or displayed by their collectors?

The illustrations in both Favnae insectorvm and Histoire naturelle des aranéides are just as critical to the identification of species as the scientific descriptions and classifications, particularly as the observation of physical attributes was the main source of evidence and information at the time.

• In what ways do the illustrations in both resources reveal artistic interpretation within science communication? How does contemporary science continue to rely on artistic interpretation through digital visualisations to represent frequencies, data, and phenomena that are not visible to the naked human eye?
• Many contemporary artists work with scientists to create artworks. Research artistic practices and projects that rely on collaborative involvement with scientists and scientific data. Examples include:
  • Filmmaker, artist, and UNSW alum, Zanny Begg, worked with the Insect and Mite Collection at the NSW DPI Biosecurity Unit in Orange, NSW / Wiradjuri Country to produce her public art commission ‘Dancing with Bees’, 2024, located at the Orange Civil Theatre.
  • Artist and UNSW alum, Mel O’Callaghan, collaborated with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to film hydrothermal vents in the depths of the Pacific Ocean to produce her video artwork ‘Centre of the Centre’, 2019.
  • Artist Maria Fernando Cardoso collaborated with scientific imager Geoff Thompson and entomologist Andy Wang from the Queensland Museum to produce her exhibition ‘Spiders of Paradise’ (touring with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney 2024-2026).