Erich Uhmann

Erich Leo Ludwig Uhmann (4 November 1881 – 15 January 1968) was a German teacher and entomologist known for his contributions to beetle taxonomy. Born in Chemnitz, he worked as a secondary school teacher in Stollberg from 1908 to 1943. During this period he also pursued entomological research, largely focusing on hispine beetles, which he continued after retiring from teaching until his death in 1968. A prolific author of scientific papers, Uhmann would come to be recognised as an international expert on hispines, having published over 200 papers on hispine taxonomy.

Life and career

Uhmann was born on 4 November 1881 in Chemnitz, Germany, and expressed an interest in botany and entomology early in life. He attended secondary school at the in Dresden and graduated in 1902. He began attending the University of Leipzig in 1903, majoring in mathematics and the natural sciences (botany, zoology, geography, and physics).

Uhmann began studying beetles in 1907 and was an avid collector, becoming a member of the German Entomological Institute in 1914 and making several trips across Europe with fellow beetle collectors Max Link and Karl Dorn. In this period he was focused on staphylinid beetles and the biota of the Ore Mountains, publishing his first scientific paper, , in 1919. From 1949 to 1956 he worked on compiling a worldwide catalogue of all known tribes, genera, and species of hispine beetle published since 1758 that ultimately included 3010 species. and the most prolific hispine taxonomist of the 20th century. Throughout his life Uhmann published 235 scholarly articles on hispines and proposed 5 tribes, 39 genera, 606 species, and 61 subspecies of hispine beetle.