José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage

José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (2 May 1823 – 3 November 1907) was a Portuguese zoologist, politician, and professor. He served as a professor of zoology and director of the National Museum of Natural History and Science at the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon. Bocage's scientific work led to the description of numerous species, particularly of Portugal and its overseas territories.

Bocage held multiple public offices, including Minister of the Navy and Oversea. He was involved in colonial and geographical policy, co-founding the Lisbon Geographic Society and representing Portugal at the Berlin Conference, where he advocated for Portuguese claims in Africa. Several species have been named after him.

Early life José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage was born on May 2, 1823, in Funchal, Portugal, into the Du Bocage family of French descendancy. His father, João José Barbosa du Bocage, was a cadet in the army and emigrated to Brazil in 1830 due to his opposition to the absolutist regime of King Miguel I of Portugal. The family reunited in Rio de Janeiro, where Bocage's maternal uncle, , had established a school where both his parents taught. Following the triumph of the liberal cause in 1834, the family returned to Funchal, where João José served as a customs officer.

In 1839, Bocage enrolled at the University of Coimbra, initially studying mathematics and later pursuing medicine. He graduated in 1846 with a bachelor's degree in medicine. During the Little Civil War, he joined the academic battalion, supporting the liberal cause. After the war, he established a medical practice in Lisbon and was appointed to the Hospital de São José. That same year, he married Teresa Roma, with whom he had one son, Carlos Roma du Bocage.

In 1858, Bocage was appointed as the scientific director and curator of zoology at the National Museum of Natural History and Science, part of the Polytechnic School. During his tenure, he organized the museum's zoological collections, adopting an acquisition policy that prioritized filling gaps within taxonomic groups rather than broad expansion.

Honours Bocage earned several honours, including the Portuguese Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, the Spanish Cross of Naval Merit, the Austrian Order of Franz Joseph, the Brazilian Order of the Rose, and the rank of officer in the French Legion of Honour. In 1903, the Lisbon Geographic Society held a ceremony in his honour, where King Carlos I of Portugal awarded him a medal of honour in recognition of his contributions to science and the Portuguese nation. two extant lizards (Podarcis bocagei and Trachylepis bocagii), and the extinct ornithopod dinosaur Cariocecus bocagei, bear his name.

Selected works A ornitologia dos Açores, 1866 Aves das possessões portuguesas d' Africa occidental que existem no Museu de Lisboa, da 1ª à 24ª lista, 1868 a 1882 Lista dos répteis das possessões portuguesas d' Africa occidental que existem no Museu de Lisboa, 1866 Notice sur un batracien nouveau du Portugal, 1864 Diagnose de algumas espécies inéditas da família Squalidae que frequentam os nossos mares, 1864 Peixes plagiostomos, 1866 Ornithologie d' Angola, 1881 and 1877 Herpethologie d' Angola et du Congo, 1895