Carlo von Erlanger

Carlo von Erlanger (5 September 1872 - 4 September 1904) was a German ornithologist and explorer born in Ingelheim am Rhein. He was a cousin to muscicologist Rodolphe d'Erlanger (1872-1932).

He studied ornithology at the University of Lausanne, afterwards performing wildlife studies in the Tunisian desert (1893-1897).^[1] On his return to Europe he continued his studies at Cambridge and Berlin. In 1900-01 with Oscar Rudolph Neumann (1867-1946), he performed scientific investigations in East Africa (present day countries of Ethiopia and Somalia), an expedition where many thousands of insect and avian specimens were collected.^[1] Erlanger died in an automobile accident in Salzburg on September 4, 1904, one day shy of his 32nd birthday.^[1]

Grave marker of Carlo von Erlanger, Nieder-Ingelheim Cemetery

Erlanger is credited with naming 40 new ornithological taxa, and has several zoological species named after him, such as:

• Erlanger's Lark, Calandrella erlangeri (Neumann 1906)
• Ptychadena erlangeri (Ahl, 1924); an Ethiopian frog.
• Somali Boubou, Laniarius erlangeri (Reichenow, 1905)
• Erlanger’s gazelle, Gazella erlangeri (Neumann, 1906)^[2]

His name is also associated with the subspecies Madoqua saltiana erlangeri Neumann, 1905).^[3]

Written works

• Eine ornithologische Forschungsreise durch Tunesien (1898)
• Meine Reise durch Sud-Schoa, Galla und die Somal-Lander (1902)
• Forschungsreise durch Sud-Schoa, Galla und die Somali-lander. Beitrage zur vogelfauna Nordostafrikas, mit besonderer berucksichtigung der zoogeographie

References