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Marie Firmin Bocourt

1819 – 1904

French zoologist

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About Marie Firmin Bocourt

Lived 1819 – 1904 (aged 84). Marie Firmin Bocourt was a French illustrator, zoologist, etcher and artist.

Marie Firmin Bocourt (19 April 1819 – 4 February 1904) was a French zoologist and artist.

As a young man, he worked as a preparateur for the zoologist Gabriel Bibron (1805–1848), later serving as a museum artist. In 1861, he was sent to Thailand (then called Siam), where he explored the fauna and brought back an important collection of specimens.

He collaborated with Auguste Duméril (1812–1870) on a series called Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amérique Centrale, a result of Bocourt's scientific expedition to Mexico and Central America in 1864–1866, in one part during the French Intervention in Mexico led by Napoleon III. Auguste Duméril died in 1870, and the project was continued by Bocourt with assistance from Léon Vaillant (1834–1914), François Mocquard (1834–1917) and Fernand Angel (1881–1950). With Vaillant, he published a study on fishes, "Études sur les poissons ", that was included in Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amérique Centrale.

As an artist, he specialized in engravings, doing portraits of contemporary people as well as zoological illustrations. Delalande's coua (Coua delalandei ), chromolithic print by Bocourt et Fagnet, produced for Alfred Grandidier's L'Histoire Politique, Physique et Naturelle de Madagascar.

Taxa named in honor of Bocourt Bocourt has a number of zoological species and subspecies named after him, including the following. Bocourt's swimming crab, Callinectes bocourti , native to the Caribbean Bocourt's eyelid skink, Phoboscincus bocourti , native to New Caledonia Bocourt's black-headed snake, Tantilla bocourti , native to Mexico Incilius bocourti , a Central American toad Agama bocourti , a lizard native to West Africa Anolis bocourtii , a lizard native to northern South America Atractus bocourti , a snake native to northwestern South America Micrurus bocourti , a venomous snake native to northwestern South America Mystus bocourti , a catfish native to Southeast Asia Pangasius bocourti , a catfish native to Southeast Asia Polemon bocourti , a rear-fanged snake native to Central Africa Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii , a lizard native to California Subsessor bocourti , a snake native to Southeast Asia

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a different genus.

Works Bocourt, F. (1868) Descriptions de quelques crotaliens nouveaux appartenant au genre Bothrops, recueillis dans le Guatemala. Ann. Sci. Nat., Zool., ser. 5, vol. 10, p. 201–202. Duméril, A., Bocourt, F. Études sur les reptiles et les batraciens. en la serie "Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amérique centrale., recherches zoologiques", 3e partie, 1ère section. Paris: Imprimerie Impériale. Duméril, A., Bocourt, F. & Mocquard, F. (1870–1909). Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amérique Centrale. Recherches zoologiques. Paris: Imprimerie Impériale Bocourt, F. (1873a) Caractères d'une espèce nouvelle d'iguaniens le Sceleporus acathhinus. [Characters on a New Iguana Species, Sceleporus acathinus] Ann. Sci. Nat., Zool. (5) 17 (6): 1. Bocourt, F. (1873b) Deux notes sur quelques sauriens de l'Amérique tropicale. [Two Notes on Its Tropical (Pan-)American Lizards] Ann. Sci. Nat., Zool. Paleontol. (5) 19 (4): 1–5. Bocourt, F. (1873c) Note sur quelques espèces nouvelles d'iguaniens du genre Sceleporus. [Notes on the New Iguana Species of the Genre Sceleporus] Ann. Sci. Nat., Zool. (5) 17 (10): 1–2. Bocourt, F. (1873–1897) Études sur les reptiles. [Studies on Reptiles] Part 3, Sect. 1, Book. 2–15, pp. 33–860, Mission Scientifique au Mexique et dans l'Amérique Centrale - Recherches Zoologiques. Paris, Imprimerie Imperiale. p. 1012 Bocourt, F. (1876a) Note sur quelques reptiles du Mexique. [Notes on Its Reptiles of Mexico] Ann. Sci. Nat., Zool. (6) 3 (12): 1–4. Bocourt, F. (1876b) Note sur quelques reptiles de l'Isthme de Tehuantepec (Mexique) donnés par M. Sumichrast au Muséum. J. Zool. (Paris) 5: 386–411. Bocourt, F. (1879) Etudes sur les reptiles. [Studies on Reptiles] Miss. Sci. Mexique, Rech. Zool. Book. 6: 361–440, p. 21–22, 22A–22D.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Awards
Knight of the Legion of Honour
Also known as
Bocourt, M. F. Bocourt, M. Firmin Bocourt, Firmin Bocourt, F. Bocourt

People in Marie Firmin Bocourt's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Marie Firmin Bocourt's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Marie Firmin Bocourt?

French zoologist (1819–1904)

When was Marie Firmin Bocourt born?

Marie Firmin Bocourt was born on 19 April 1819 in former 12th arrondissement of Paris.

When did Marie Firmin Bocourt die?

Marie Firmin Bocourt died on 4 February 1904 in 5th arrondissement of Paris.

What was Marie Firmin Bocourt's occupation?

Marie Firmin Bocourt was an illustrator, zoologist, etcher and artist.

What nationality was Marie Firmin Bocourt?

Marie Firmin Bocourt was French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Marie Firmin Bocourt

· Wikidata: Q773382

· DBpedia: Marie Firmin Bocourt

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Marie Firmin Bocourt. https://biography.guide/marie-firmin-bocourt/

MLA: "Marie Firmin Bocourt." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/marie-firmin-bocourt/.

Chicago: "Marie Firmin Bocourt." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/marie-firmin-bocourt/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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