Albert Mocquerys in Venezuela (1893–1894): A Commercial Collector of Plants, Birds, and Insects (original) (raw)

Abstract

Detailed information regarding the identity and activities of Albert Mocquerys (1860-1926) proved to be somewhat elusive until recently even though he was a prolific and well-traveled natural history collector with prominent patrons and clients. In late 1893 and early 1894 Mocquerys spent roughly eight months in Venezuela and collected a wide range of natural history specimens including plants. The Swiss botanist Henri Pittier (1931) speculated that Mocquerys' focus in Venezuela was ornithological rather than botanical, but we suspect it may have originally been entomological. In addition to birds, plants, and insects, Mocquerys also collected other small vertebrate animals (including bats, rabbits, rodents, amphibians, and fish), insect nests, and fossil shells (NHM: TM 1/3/11). The vascular plant collection, made in diverse localities in northern and western Venezuela, is a substantial one and even though these specimens are regularly cited in revisions, monographs, and floras, Mocquerys' contribution to Neotropical and Venezuelan botany invariably is mentioned only in passing if mentioned at all (

Figures (2)

Ficure 1. Localities associated with the 1893-1894 collecting trip to Venezuela undertaken by Albert Mocquerys. 1, Puerto Cabello. 2, San Esteban. 3, Valencia. 4, Mariara. 5, Tucacas. 6, Duaca. 7, Barquisimeto. 8, Tocuyo. 9, Bucarito. 10, La Guaira. 11, Cumana. 12. Cumanacoa. 13, San Antonio de Maturin. 14, El Caripe. 15, El Guacharo. 16, Maracaibo. 17, Santa Barbara de Zulia. 18, El Vigia. 19. Lagunillas. 20, Ejido. 21, Mérida. 22, Mucuchies.

Ficure 1. Localities associated with the 1893-1894 collecting trip to Venezuela undertaken by Albert Mocquerys. 1, Puerto Cabello. 2, San Esteban. 3, Valencia. 4, Mariara. 5, Tucacas. 6, Duaca. 7, Barquisimeto. 8, Tocuyo. 9, Bucarito. 10, La Guaira. 11, Cumana. 12. Cumanacoa. 13, San Antonio de Maturin. 14, El Caripe. 15, El Guacharo. 16, Maracaibo. 17, Santa Barbara de Zulia. 18, El Vigia. 19. Lagunillas. 20, Ejido. 21, Mérida. 22, Mucuchies.

Ficure 2. Labels used on Venezuelan plant specimens collected by Mocquerys and distributed by Paris. A, Printed label with hand-written data. B, Label with data copied by hand. C, Label with Mocquerys’ handwriting. D, Label accompanying the preceding and associating the specimen with Drake del Castillo and the herbarium in Paris. (All labels courtesy of US). Interestingly, Mocquerys collected almost exclusively herbaceous and shrubby material and rarely, if ever, trees. This suggests a certain degree of opportunism or even a mercenary attitude toward this endeavor. He left us some clues as to his plant collecting practices and compensation when after his trip to Venezuela he wrote Casimir de Candolle (1836-1918) soliciting the latter’s patronage for a proposed collecting trip to Madagascar (CJBG: 22 May 1896). Mocquerys mentioned that he had sent from Venezuela to Paris approximately 20,000 herbarium specimens for which he received 50 centimes (cents) each. As part of his sales pitch to de Candolle, Mocquerys described his plant collecting habits: each dried specimen is provided with a label that indicates whether the plant is an herb, shrub or In 1913, the Drake herbarium was acquired by the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (Bureau, 1904; Stafleu and Cowan, 1976) and as a consequence the primary set of Venezuelan plants collected by Mocquerys is now in the herbarium of that museum (P). After acquiring the Drake herbarium, Paris (P) distributed duplicate specimens to other herbaria and these duplicates are now found in A, AMES, B, BR, COL, CTES, F, G, K, LIL, MO, NY, RB, S, SI, TEX, U, US, VEN, and W, at least (Vegter, 1976; Espinoza and Rodriguez, 2007; JSTOR Global Plants, 2017; Dorr, unpubl.; acronyms follow Thiers, 2017). Most of the data on the labels of specimens outside of Paris, and a good number within, are copied data; duplicate labels handwritten by one or more technicians or assistants working in the herbarium in Paris. Almost without exception the

Ficure 2. Labels used on Venezuelan plant specimens collected by Mocquerys and distributed by Paris. A, Printed label with hand-written data. B, Label with data copied by hand. C, Label with Mocquerys’ handwriting. D, Label accompanying the preceding and associating the specimen with Drake del Castillo and the herbarium in Paris. (All labels courtesy of US). Interestingly, Mocquerys collected almost exclusively herbaceous and shrubby material and rarely, if ever, trees. This suggests a certain degree of opportunism or even a mercenary attitude toward this endeavor. He left us some clues as to his plant collecting practices and compensation when after his trip to Venezuela he wrote Casimir de Candolle (1836-1918) soliciting the latter’s patronage for a proposed collecting trip to Madagascar (CJBG: 22 May 1896). Mocquerys mentioned that he had sent from Venezuela to Paris approximately 20,000 herbarium specimens for which he received 50 centimes (cents) each. As part of his sales pitch to de Candolle, Mocquerys described his plant collecting habits: each dried specimen is provided with a label that indicates whether the plant is an herb, shrub or In 1913, the Drake herbarium was acquired by the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (Bureau, 1904; Stafleu and Cowan, 1976) and as a consequence the primary set of Venezuelan plants collected by Mocquerys is now in the herbarium of that museum (P). After acquiring the Drake herbarium, Paris (P) distributed duplicate specimens to other herbaria and these duplicates are now found in A, AMES, B, BR, COL, CTES, F, G, K, LIL, MO, NY, RB, S, SI, TEX, U, US, VEN, and W, at least (Vegter, 1976; Espinoza and Rodriguez, 2007; JSTOR Global Plants, 2017; Dorr, unpubl.; acronyms follow Thiers, 2017). Most of the data on the labels of specimens outside of Paris, and a good number within, are copied data; duplicate labels handwritten by one or more technicians or assistants working in the herbarium in Paris. Almost without exception the

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References (60)

  1. VoL. 22, No. 1 variations of this place name are invariably associated with El Tocuyo (see below). one herbarium specimen (Pleurophora anomala (A. St.-Hil.) Koehne, Mocquerys 15, VEN) is labeled "Sanare, Bucarito". Sanare is a village ca. 15 km south southeast of El Tocuyo. Paynter's (1982) mistake is understandable because there are many localities in Venezuela named "Bucarito". Bucarito, Cerro (see Bucarito).
  2. Bucarito, Sanare (see Bucarito). Bucarito, Savane de (see Bucarito). Caripe [Monagas: Caripe]: 10˚12'N, 063˚29'W (Paynter, 1982); near the head of the Río Caripe, 46 km west of Caripito and 23 km east of San Antonio de Maturín near Cueva del Guácharo; January 1894 (Phelps, 1944: 331; zimmer and Phelps, 1954: 3); birds, insects, mammals, and plants. Note: There is a suspicion that some of the birds that are labeled Caripe were actually collected elsewhere (see text). Cumaná [Sucre: Sucre]: 10˚28'N, 064˚10'W (Paynter, 1982);
  3. largest city and capital of Sucre state, it is a Caribbean port 70 km northeast of Barcelona; January and May 1894 (Hartert, 1927: 29; Phelps, 1944: 331; AMNH skin 472557);
  4. birds, mammals, and plants. Note: The May record is based on label data transcribed from birds skins at the AMNH. Cumanacoa [Sucre: Montes]: 10˚15'N, 063˚55'W (Paynter, 1982); upper valley of Río Manzanares, 40 km southeast of Cumaná; no precise date, but probably January 1894; birds and plants. Duaca [Lara: Crespo]: 10˚18'N, 069˚10'W (Paynter, 1982); village between the Sierra de Bobare and the Sierra de Aroa, 30 km northeast of Barquisimeto; october to December 1893 (Phelps, 1944: 331); birds and plants. Note: When Mocquerys visited Duaca, the village was connected by railroad with Barquisimeto and Puerto Cabello (filsinger, 1922;
  5. Yarrington, 1997: 78) and we assume this is how Mocquerys traveled there from the coast. Ejido [Mérida: Campo Elías]: 08˚33'N, 071˚14'W (Paynter, 1982); 10 km southwest of Mérida on the Río Chama; March and April 1894 (Hartert, 1897: v, as "April 1897"; Phelps, 1944: 331); birds and plants. Guácharo, El [Monagas: Caripe]: 10˚09'N, 063˚32'W (Paynter, 1982); the cave of the "Guácharo," 5 km southwest of Caripe and 19 km east of San Antonio de Maturín; January 1894 (Hartert, 1922: 396; Hellmayr, 1906: 91;
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