18th century

This century interest in marine life increased dramatically. Fish were still objects of study but an increasing number of marine species got the attention. Many studies were carried out on "sea-plants (hydroids) to find out the nature of marine life: Where these 'zoophytes' plants, plant-animals or true animals?
In 1758 Linnaeus published the 10-th issue of Systema Naturae, the official start of the systematic classification of organisms.

 

Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli (1658 – 1730) Italian count, soldier and naturalist who was interested in a wide range of natural phenomena. Called the 'father of oceanography'. Sailed with fishermen off Marseille to study marine life.

Histoire physique de la mer 1725 The first modern treatise on oceanography. In this book, Marsigli treated the morphology of the basin near the Provence, the water's properties and its motion and the biology of the sea. His study on "Corails" is important because he opened the discussion on the nature of (red) coral, which he describes as plants with flowers. Later his work was repeated by Jean-André Peyssonnel who found out they belonged to the animal kingdom.     Corails Examination Peche du Corail

 

Albertus Seba (1665-1736) Albertus Seba, a wealthy Dutchman, formed what was perhaps the richest museum of his time. He sold his first 'wonder cabinet' to the Russian czar Peter the Great, including 1,000 European insects and 400 animal specimens. Afterwards Seba started a second collection.

Naaukeurige beschryving van het schatryke kabinet der voornaamste seldzaamheden der natuur / Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri accurata descriptio III 1734-1765 (link without plates) Description of Seba's second collection. Containts terrestial animals and plants as well as marine invertebrates (part III) and fish. Linneaeus cited Seba’s Thesaurus 284 times in his Systema Naturae 10. Plates in: Müsch, Willmann en Rust, Irmgard. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities: The Complete Plates in Colour, 1734-1765. Taschen Verlag, 543 p., 472 illustrations. ISBN-10: 3822847941 / ISBN-13: 978-3822847947.     Stellae Sepiae ? (=Puffer)

 

Peter Artedi (1705-1735) Called the 'Father of Ichthyology' by some. He was engaged to describe the collection of Albertus Seba and started of with his speciality: fish. He accidentally fell in a Amsterdam canal and drowned.

Ichthyologia sive opera omnia de piscibus .. Posthuma .. editit Carolus Linnaeus. 1738 After the dead of Artedi Linnaeus published his manuscripts on fish: Bibliotheca Ichthyologica and Philosophia Ichthyologica together with a description of Artedi's life. No illustrations in this work

 

John Ellis (1710-1776) Merchant in linen in London and expert on corals, hydroids and plants who was a very influential member of the Royal Society. Ellis was appointed Royal Agent for West Florida in 1764 and for Dominica in 1770. Imported many seeds and plants into England from America, and had a intense correspondence with Carolus Linnaeus.

An essay towards a natural history of the Corallines, and other productions of the like kind, commonly found on the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, to which is added the description of a large marine polype taken near the North Pole, by whale-fishers, in the summer. 1753-1755 Sophisticated description of mainly hydroids with a classification used by Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae 10.     Corallines Escharas Polar sea polype

 

Louis Renard /Samuel Fallours (c.1678-1746) / Two Dutchmen with French names. Renard, the editor, was spy for the British Crown and a bookseller. Fallours, the original illustrator was a soldier later employed as artist by the Dutch East Indies Company.

Poissons, Ecrevisses et Crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures, extraordinaires que lón trouve autour des isles Moluques, et sur les cotes des terres Australis. 1719 Book about coral reef fishes and crustaceans of Ambon in the the Mollucas. Added here for the beauty of the illustrations made by Samuel Fallours and the Dutch names he gave to the species. Pietsch, W. Fishes, Crayfishes, and Crabs Louis Renard's Natural History of the Rarest Curiosities of the Seas of the Indies. Baltimore & London, The Johns Hopkins University Press: 1995. 2 volumes,   Ican / Visch Ican / Visch Craka Coulat & Crake Radja

 

Laurentius Theodorus Gronovius (1730-1777) Dutch naturalist who collected many zoological and botanical specimens. He is especially known for his work in ichthyology and credited with developing a technique for preservation of fish skins. Together with his son he collected over 500 fish skins, 187 of these are kept in the Natural History Museum in London.

Museum ichthyologicum, sistens piscium indigenorum & quorumdam exoticorum, / qui in Museo Laurentii Theodori Gronovii, J.U.D. adservantur, descriptiones ordine systematico. Accedunt nonnullorum exoticorum piscium icones aeri incisae ... 1754-1756 A manuscript in which 200 species of fish are described. This work is frequently referred to by Linnaeus in Systema Naturae 10 - 13. Gray, J. E. Catalogue of fish collected and described by Laurence Theodor Gronow. 1854: Wheeler, C.A. The Gronovius fish collection: a catalogue and historical account. 1958. Zoophylacium Gronovianum , exhibens Amimalia Quadrupeda, Amphibia, Pisces, Insecta, Vermes, Mollusca, Testacea, et Zoophyta, Quae in Museo suo adservavit, examini subjecit, systematice disposuit atque descripsit Laur. Theod. Gronovius 1763 Classification and description of "four-feets" and fish (book 1), insects (book 2) and invertebrates (book 3). Known for the great number of molluscs. Callorynchus

 

Job Baster (1711-1775) Dutch physician, collected and described marine organisms and had a active correspondence with international scientists about actual biological matters.

In Dutch: Natuurkundige uitspanningen, behelzende eenige waarneemingen over sommige zee-planten en zee-insecten, benevens derzelver zaadhuisjes en eijernesten. 1759-1765 In Latin: Opuscula subseciva, observationes miscellaneas de animalculis et plantis quibusdam marinis, eorumque ovariis et seminibus continentia. (Jobi Basteri). 1762-1765 A lively description of marine species in the coastal waters near his home in the south of the Netherlands. Started his work to join the discussion about the nature of 'zoophytes'. Recent analyses of the species in this work at www.coastsandreefs.net Plate I 5 Plate I 10 Plate II 11

 

Martinus Slabber (1740-1835) Civil servant, got stimulated by Baster to study marine life. Collected organisms for just one year and finished his manuscript a year later

Natuurkundige verlustigingen , behelzende microscopise waarneemingen van in- en uitlandse water- en land-dieren. 1769-1778 Collected organisms for just one year and finished his manuscript a year later. Book known for its beautiful illustrations. Recent analyses of the species in this work at www.coastsandreefs.net   Plate 7 Plate 13 Plate 18

 

Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) Linnaeus from Sweden, the famous founder of modern classification of organisms.

Systema Naturae 1 (Regnum Animalum) 1735 Marine invertebrates all classified under Zoophyta which Linnaeus considered as plant-animals. Systema Naturae 10 1758 This book forms the official start of modern taxonomy. Whales are moved from fishes to mammals. Incorporated work of Artedi and Ellis. Systema Naturae 12 1766 Improved and extended version of Systema Naturae. No illustrations in these works