| César Marie Félix Ancey | |
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César Marie Félix Ancey
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| Born | November 15, 1860 Marseille, France |
| Died | October 10, 1906 (aged 45) Mascara, Algeria |
| Fields | conchology |
César Marie Félix Ancey (15 November 1860, Marseille - 10 October 1906 Mascara, Algeria) was a French conchologist and entomologist.
He was for 23 years ‘conservateur’ of collections for Charles Oberthür (1845-1924) at Rennes. Ancey was then a ‘fonctionnaire’ at Mascara until his death.[1]
The genus Anceya was dedicated to him by Jules René Bourguignat.[2]
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César Marie Félix Ancey, administrator at Mascara, Algeria, was born in Marseilles, November 15, 1860. His father, well known for his publications on entomology and author of valuable work on malacology, encouraged his well-developed inclination for zoological studies. At the age of twenty-three he was appointed conservator of the fine Oberthur entomological collection at Rennes. This position not promising material success, he returned to Marseilles, where he studied law, and obtained his diploma in 1885. He then entered the government administration in Algeria. He was married in 1889, and the same year was appointed deputy administrator, and filled successively positions at Fort National, Boghari and Dra-el Mizan. After thirteen years spent in that locality he was promoted to acting administrator at Mascara. It was a just reward for his great qualifications and for the esteem which he had been able to win amidst duties that were frequently of a difficult character.[2]
Mr. Ancey hoped shortly to fill a State mission to the Cape Verde Islands, which was sure to furnish opportunities for malacological studies. After a brief illness he died at Mascara, October 10, 1906. His death was a painful surprise to his scientific correspondents.[2]
Most of his writings were on conchology, and his many papers, some 140 in all,[2] give an idea of the importance of his work, devoted principally to the malacological fauna of Hawaii, Central Africa, Polynesia, Central Asia, etc. He was especially interested in the study of the smaller land shells, of which he had a large collection. As his appointment to Mascara promised to be permanent, he expected to be able to work up his large accumulation of undetermined species, still packed just as he had received them. It was his purpose some day to study the land mollusks of Algeria; although thoroughly competent for the work, he hesitated to undertake it on account of the difficulties arising from the many doubtful species, which made the study of the Algerian fauna a most ungrateful task.[2]
Mr. Ancey is the authority for many generic or subgeneric names, among which may be mentioned: Boysidia, Parabalia, Haplotrema, Pseudomphalus, Monomphalus, Micromphalia, Platystoma, Rhytidiopsis, Pararhytida, Microphyura, Ochroderma, Tomostele, Mabilliella, Thomsonia, Lechaptoisia, Thaanumia, Baldwinia and Armandiella.[2]
This article incorporates public domain text from the reference [2].