Carl Johan Schönherr

Carl Johan Schönherr (10 June 1772 – 28 March 1848) was a Swedish entomologist who revised the taxonomy of beetles, including weevils by examining all the descriptions of beetles since the time of Linnaeus. He began with an examination of the Charles de Geer collection which had been handed to the Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1778. He introduced the system of using a red label to mark historical specimens that had served as the basis of De Geer's descriptions. This continues to be a standard practice in entomological collections today for holotypes.

Life and work Born in Stockholm, Schönherr was son of a German immigrant who had established himself as a silk manufacturer. At the age of nineteen, he took over the business together with his mother and developed it into a considerable size, with about 200 workers. Schönherr had taken an interest in entomology, a contemporary trend inspired by Emanuel Swedenborg, since the age of twelve and was later further stimulated through his friendship with Gustaf Johan Billberg, his brother-in-law from his second marriage.

In his Synonymia Insectorum he examined the names of beetles that had been described since Linnaeus' time. He compiled four volumes between 1808 and 1817. He collaborated intensely with numerous entomologists around the world including Friedrich August von Gebler, Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim, Gabriel Marklin, Carl Henrik Boheman, Conrad Quensel, Latreille, and Leonard Gyllenhaal. Schönherr worked on weevils along with Auguste Chevrolat and worked on his seventeen volume . Paris, Roret. (1833-1845) in which many new species were described. After his death, his family donated his collections which Boheman estimated as containing 52,437 specimens with nearly 12,000 specimens of weevils representing 4,200 species. His library was also bequeathed to the Academy of Sciences. The family also acquired Chevrolat's collection which was transferred to the academy. This was the nucleus for the Swedish Natural History Museum.

Schönherr was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1809. Several species have been named in his honour including Eupholus schoenherrii and Mononychus schoenherrii.