André Clément Villiers (9 April 1915 – 8 June 1983) was a French entomologist and herpetologist. He conducted research on beetles, particularly longhorn beetles and Languriidae, as well as Hemiptera, reptiles, amphibians and birds.
Biography
André Villiers developed an interest in natural history at an early age. At the age of thirteen, he began frequenting the entomology laboratory of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, where he came into contact with the entomologist René Gabriel Jeannel (1879–1965). He also participated in the activities of the Coléoptéristes de la Seine, a group of beetle specialists active in the Paris region.
After completing his military service, Villiers joined the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in 1937 as a technical assistant. He participated in several scientific expeditions, including an expedition to Cameroon led by Bernard Gèze (1913–1996). In 1943, he received his Doctor of Science degree with a dissertation entitled Études morphologique et biologique des Languriitae (Col. Erotylidae) ("Morphological and biological studies of the Languriitae"). After the end of the Second World War, Théodore Monod (1902–2000) invited him to take charge of entomological work at the French Institute of Black Africa (IFAN).
Villiers returned to metropolitan France in 1956. At the request of Eugène Séguy (1890–1985), he succeeded him as deputy director of the entomology laboratory. In 1968, he was elected president of the Société entomologique de France. He retired in 1980 after having been appointed professor at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle.
Villiers was the author of 761 publications. His work dealt principally with Coleoptera, including cerambycid beetles and Languriidae, and with Hemiptera, including Reduviidae and Enicocephalidae. He also published research on reptiles, amphibians and birds. In addition, he was interested in the role of animals in the culture of the Bakweri people of Cameroon.
Together with Renaud Paulian (1913–2003) and Guy Colas (1902–1993), Villiers helped establish the journal L'Entomologiste. During his career, he collected approximately one million specimens and substantially enriched the collections of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle.
Selected publications
Villiers, André (1949). "Révision des Émésides africains (Hémiptères réduviidés)". Mémoires du Muséum d'histoire naturelle, new series, 23 (2): 257–392.
References