Adolpho Lutz’ Crustacea collection*
Lutz’ earliest zoological papers were on Crustacea Cladocera. They were carried out in 1878 at the age of twenty two years and already show a firm approach to the subject, knowledge of the literature and a keen interest in geographical distribution. Although short, they are obviously written from an evolutionist and darwinian point of view. The first paper, on the fauna of Bern, was awarded the prize offered by the Bernese Society of Natural History. The second was carried out during the months that while Lutz studied in Leipzig and was presented to the local Natural History Society by Leuckart.
The first species described by Lutz is included at the end of the paper on Bern, namely Alona verrucosa; two new varieties are also proposed for Scapholeberis mucronata i.e. v. brevicornis and v. longicornis. The Leipzig paper includes a diagnosis of the male of Alona acanthocercoides Fischer. A new variety Daphnia hyalina v. mülleri is also indicated.
Only half a century later did Lutz incidentally publish on Crustaceans again, à propos of two interesting forms found in a puddle in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, where he had gone to advise the Governor on Leprosy.
Then Lutz began to work on the genus Culicoides, some of wich were in the habit of flying up to the towers of the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz and to pass the meshes of the mosquito-nets in the bedrooms, so as to bite, he became interested, – as usual – in their biotopes. One species, Culicoides reticulatus Lutz, was found to live in the burrows of the “Guaiamu” crabs (Cardiosomaguanhumi). Lutz became interested in the crustacean fauna of the vicinity of the Institute and made a small representative collection of them, like his herbarium of the plants growing near Manguinhos there. These collections were timely, as much of the ground had been definitively ruined for biological purposes by road-building and city development, so that part of the mangrove swamp of Manguinhos is now buried under the main road called Avenida Brasil.
Lutz put this collection with short appropriate ecological notes into the zoological section of the museum belonging to the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, from wich they were later removed during the installation of a lecture-room.
When we began to check the Lutz Collections, some time after his death, these specimens were found and sent to Ilha do Pinheiro where the Institute has a Hydrobiological Laboratory. A list of species was also found among the papers of Dr. Lutz and filed. On showing this list to Dr. Lejeune de Oliveira, he voiced the opinion that the list should be published among the Occasional Papers on Invertebrate Zoology, to be included in one of the volumes of the Works of Lutz. This is now being done, for his published papers on Crustacea and his notes on the burrows of crabs. At our request, Dr. Lejeune added some comments to the list, showing the change in the local fauna from the early twenties to the late fiftties of this century. The collection was supplemented by a few fishes and other marine forms which were given to Dr. Lutz by the fishermen of the port of Inhauma who had a free medical adviser and a friend in him. The photographs were taken from Lutz specimens.
We include the crustacean papers in this volume for their historical interest and because of the difficulty of obtaining the original ones.