born Nov. 29, 1762, Brive-la-Gaillarde, Fr.
died Feb. 6, 1833, Paris
French zoologist, regarded as the father of entomology.
An ordained priest, in 1796 he published his Summary of the Generic Characteristics of Insects, Arranged in a Natural Order, which led to his becoming head of entomology at the National Museum of Natural History. His principal later work was his Comprehensive Natural History of Crustaceans and Insects (14 vol., 180205). The two works, representing the first detailed classification of insects and crustaceans, mark the beginnings of modern entomology. In 1829 he took the professorial chair vacated by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck .