Hans Fruhstorfer (March 7, 1866 Passau, Germany — April 9, 1922 in Munich) was a German explorer, insect trader and entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera. He collected and described many new species of exotic butterflies, especially in Seitz's Macrolepidoptera of the World. He is best known for his work on the butterflies of Java.
His career began in 1888 when he spent two years in Brazil. The expedition was financially successful and led to his becoming a professional collector. Next he spent some time in Ceylon, then in 1890 he went to Java for three years, visiting Sumatra and the Malay Archipelago. Between 1895 and 1896 he collected in Celebes, Lombok and Bali. Finally in 1899 he went on a three year journey to the U.S.A, the South Seas, Japan, China, Tonkin, Annam and Siam returning via India. He then settled in Geneva where he wrote monographs based on the specimens in his extensive private collection. Many of these were incorporated into Seitz. In taxonomy he made extensive use of the structure of the male genitalia. Fruhstorfer, in these years also studied Palearctic butterflies, Orthoptera and botany. No longer travelling himself Fruhstorfer employed the collectors Hans Sauter de:Hans Sauter (Entomologe) in Formosa and Franz Werner in New Guinea.
Fruhstorfer's collections are deposited at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, the Natural History Museum (BMNH) in London and the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, as well as in many other museums.
Fruhstorfer died in Munich on April 9, 1922, following a failed operation for cancer.
Read more about Hans Fruhstorfer: Works