Leif Reinhardt Natvig

Leif Reinhardt Natvig (March 8, 1894 – November 14, 1975) was a Norwegian entomologist. He was employed throughout his entire career at the Oslo Zoological Museum, and he contributed to a stronger connection between the museum and the Norwegian Entomological Society.

Natvig became interested in nature and insects at an early age, especially beetles. Later he started studying mosquitoes, horseflies, and botflies. In addition to entomology, he collected ivory work, weapons, and first editions of illustrated books. One of the highlights of his life was meeting Emperor Hirohito during a visit to Tokyo in 1965. Natvig brought with him some Norwegian publications on marine biology, including from the Norwegian Sea. It is said that what would have usually been a short audience lasted for two hours, while the emperor and Natvig eagerly leafed through the publications.

University of Oslo / Zoological Museum Leif Reinhardt Natvig had a lifelong engagement at the Oslo Zoological Museum. He was admitted to the University of Oslo in 1913, and not long afterward was employed as a research assistant to Nils J. T. Odhner, the director of the Oslo Zoological Museum. He later became involved with the occurrence and biology of the subfamily of botflies known as warble flies (the cattle warble fly, Hypoderma lineatum, and the ox warble fly, Hypoderma bovis) in Norway. He rebuffed the claim that girls working as shepherds in summer pastures were particularly susceptible to warble fly attacks because they were unclean and smelled like cows, fooling the warble flies. He proved that warble flies with mature eggs were so driven that they deposited the eggs on both humans and animals if they were nearby. He contributed research publications in a number of professional journals. In addition to entomology, he also wrote a book on Japanese woodcuts. 1925: "J. J. Kieffer" (Obituary). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 2: 108. 1928: "Die norwegische Finnmarks-Ekspedition. Culicidae" (The Norwegian Finnmark Expedition. Culicidae). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 2: 241–349. 1930: "Teodor Odhner" (Obituary). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 2: 305–307. 1930: "Christopher Aurivillius" (Obituary). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 2: 307–308. 1930: "Ejnar Fischer" (Obituary). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 2: 308–309. 1930: "Culiciden der 2 'Fram'-Expedition (1898–1902)" (The Culicidae of the Second Fram Expedition, 1898–1902). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 2: 358–359. 1932: "Dr. Walther Horn 60 år" (Dr. Walther Horn, 60 Years). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 3: 3. 1932: "Professor dr. Hans Rebel 70 år" (Professor Hans Rebel, 70 Years). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 3: 4. 1932: "Om Myiasis samt to nye norske kasus" (Myiasis and Two New Norwegian Cases). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 3: 117–122. 1932: "En Porocephal som fakultativ parasitt hos norsk hvepsehøk" (A Porocephalus as a Non-Obligatory Parasite in Norwegian European Honey Buzzards). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 3: 123–128. 1934: "On Some Anomalities in Culicide Hypopygiae." Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 3: 328–331. 1935: Japanske tresnitt. Kunstner- og folkeliv (Japanese Woodcuts: Artistic and Folk Life). Oslo: Gyldendal. 1941: "Crataerina pallida Latr., en for Norges fauna ny Hippoboscide" (Crataerina pallida Latr., A New Hippoboscid for Norway's Fauna). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 4: 38–40. 1944: "Entomologien ved Det Kongelige Frederiks Universitet. Et bidrag til norsk entornologis historie. 1. Tidsrommet 1813–1907" (Entomology at the Royal Frederick University. A Contribution to the History of Norwegian Entomology. 1. The Period from 1813 to 1907). Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 7(1/2): 1–73. 1945: "Notes on Culex alpinus Linnaeus and Aëdes nigripes (Zett.)." Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 7: 99–106. 1946: "Differential Characters of the Female Aëdes nigripes (Zett.) and A. nearcticus Dyar." Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 7: 184–187. 1948: "Contribution to the Knowledge of the Danish and Fennoscandian Mosquitoes. Culicini." Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift Suppl. I: 1–567. 1953: "The type specimens of Aëdes nigripes (Zett.)." Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift 9: 86–92. 1960: "Oversikt over entomologien i Norge gjennom 200 år" (Overview of Entomology in Norway over Two Hundred Years). Fauna 13: 57–71.