Aegotheles bennettii wiedenfeldi Laubmann, 1914 & Alisterus chloropterus wiedenfeldi Neumann, 1927 (1 Viewer)

[Taphrospilus]

Aegotheles bennettii wiedenfeldi Laubmann, 1914 OD here
Alisterus chloropterus wiedenfeldi Neumann, 1927 OD here

Ich benenne die neue Form Aegotheles bennettii wiedenfeldi nach Herrn Dr. Lothar von Wiedenfeld, dem das Münchner Museum eine schöne, sehr reichhaltige ornithologische Ausbeute aus Deutsch Neuguinea verdankt.

The other:

Typus in der zoolog. Staatssammlung München: 9 Berlin-Hafen Juli 1910, L. v. Wiedenfeld leg.

The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claims:

Barred Owlet-Nightjar Aegotheles bennettii wiedenfeldi Laubmann, 1914
Papuan King-Parrot ssp. Alisterus chloropterus wiedenfeldi Neumann, 1927 NCR [JS Alisterus chloropterus moszkowskii]
Dr. L. von Wiedenfeld (DNF) was a German collector in New Guinea (1909-1910)

The old key:

Dr L. von Wiedenfeld (fl. 1910) German collector in New Guinea 1909-1910 (subsp. Aegotheles bennettii, syn. Alisterus chloropterus moszkowskii).

Maybe it is time to explore his life dates? Died 1909 here? He could be born in Wysoka.

 

[l_raty]

Maybe it is time to explore his life dates?

It could be a namesake, but one Lothar von Wiedenfeld, b. 1853-d. 1933, is listed at: https://www.gedbas.genealogy.net/person/show/1199182296

This is the same Lothar von Wiedenfeld as the one from Waissak / Wysoka, I believe. Born in 1853 = "20 Jahr alt" in 1873; deceased in "Silberkopf, Kreis Ratibor" makes sense for a "Stiefsohn des Freiherrn von Eickstedt auf Silberkopf bei Ratibor".

Couldn't the 1909 link simply indicate that he wrote a testament in this year ? Perhaps before he started an expedition in Neuguinea ? (He is supposed to have collected in 1909-1910.)

 

[l_raty]

Couldn't the 1909 link simply indicate that he wrote a testament in this year ? Perhaps before he started an expedition in Neuguinea ? (He is supposed to have collected in 1909-1910.)

The associated documents are at https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=11295800 - jump to page 74.
p. 74: "Akten betreffend Testament des Regierungsrat a. D. von Wiedenfeld"
p. 76: can't read everything, but: "1. Herr Regierungsrat a. D. von Wiedenfeld hat ein eigenhändiges Testament [...] dass [...] an der [...] Witzenhausen a/ Werra zur [...] gesendt ist."

("Regierungsrat" was also given as his "occupation" in my first link above.)

 

[PScofield]

Attached the 1853-1933 Lothars death certificate that may help?

 

[l_raty]

"der frühere Regierungsrat Lothar von Wiedenfeld".
Born in Waissak, Kreis Leobschütz; residing in Silberkopf, Kreis Ratibor; but he actually died in Branitz, in a Heilanstalt (sanatorium/nursing home).

There is nothing in the German data that show he was in New Guinea, or was interested in natural history; and nothing in the Australian documents that positively link the Lothar von Wiedenfeld that was in Herbertshöhe (now Kokopo) in 1909 to Waissak or Silberkopf; but I guess that with "Regierungsrat" in addition to the name, it more or less has to be the same person...?

 

[PScofield]

Here is his marriage actually real name not Lothar (a shortening)

Joseph Wilhelm Lotharan Wiedenfeld

Birth
22. Jul 1853 (22 Jul 1853)

 

[l_raty]

I would read it "Lothar von", not "Lotharan" ? (Not easy, though -- terrible scribbling -- but compare with his father's name "Emil | von Wiedenfeld", lower down in the text.)
He was a "Doktor der Rechte" -- a Doctor of Law.

 

[PScofield]

Yes I agree - "Lothar von".

I went off on a tangent regarding the statement

"Stiefsohn des Freiherrn von Eickstedt auf Silberkopf bei Ratibor"

Yes I know its pretty irrelevant BUT

The "Freiherrn von Eickstedt auf Silberkopf" during the period was

Hugo Julius Freiherr von Eickstedt

Gender:	Male
Birth:	May 21, 1832 Silberkopf
Death:	February 11, 1897 (64) Gieraltowitz

Husband of

Ida Nadeschda Krohn

Gender:	Female
Birth:	September 10, 1841 Saint Petersburg, gorod Sankt-Peterburg, Saint Petersburg, Russia (Russian Federation)
Death:	October 27, 1925 (84)

She could not be Lothars mother as she was born in 1841.

A little confused about this...

 

[l_raty]

His mother's name was Maria, née Klaps.
She remarried a "Freiherr Friedrich Wilhelm von Eickstedt" in 1855 fide https://www.gedbas.genealogy.net/person/show/1127757228
The latter was Hugo Julius' elder brother according to https://gw.geneanet.org/pmlhennings?lang=en&iz=0&p=friedrich+wilhelm&n=von+eickstedt

 

[Taphrospilus]

I agree it should be him.

 

[l_raty]

Thus, to recapitulate:

Joseph Wilhelm Lothar von Wiedenfeld

Doctor of Law, Regierungsrat (lower-rank government official), collector in New Guinea in 1909-1910.

birth: 22 Jul 1853 in Waissak, Kreis Leobschütz, Prussia -- now Wysoka, powiat głubczycki, Poland.
marriage: 30 Dec 1913 in Berlin (wife: Margarete Antonia, née Koepke, born 27 Apr 1873 in Königsberg, Prussia -- now Kaliningrad, Russia).
death: 13 Oct 1933 in Branitz, Kreis Leobschütz, Prussia -- now Branice, powiat głubczycki, Poland.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

I think I can only agree with Laurent's recapitulation.

After having tried to connect some of the pieces, as told this far in this thread, into a more obvious, strictly Natural History context, the following is what I've found (my blue and bolds in the quotations below) ...

🧩 🧩🧩

See Alfred Laubmann's; Bemerkungen über Eisvögel aus Deutsch-Neuguinea mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der von Dr. L. von Wiedenfeld dortselbst gesammelten Exemplare (1924):

Die vorliegende Arbeit stützt sich in der Hauptsache auf das von Herrn Dr. Lothar von Wiedenfeld in den Jahren 1909—1910 in Deutsch-Neuguinea ...

[here]

... a Paper that deals with specimens collected by this certain Dr. Lothar von Wiedenfeld, between January and August 1910, for today's ZSM (Zoologische Staatsammlung München), in Munich (close to home Martin!)

His years of collecting on New Guinea was verified by Stresemann, in 1923 (here). The same years also mentioned; here and here. In any case, it seems like Lothar von Wiedenfeld was present (befand sich) in/on New Guinea in November 1909 (see footnote here).

Thereby, to me it looks like he did not die in 1909 (not at all). Apparently, the same "Dr. Lothar v. Wiedenfeld" got some kind of Medal "Bene merenti" in 1912 (here).

But, I think the following piece might be even more significant, from Verhandlungen der Ornithologischen Gesellschaft in Bayern, Band XI/Vol. 11 (1912–1913):

Bericht über die ornithologische Abteilung der Zoologischen Staatssammlung zu München in den Jahren 1911 und 1912.
[...]
... 459 Exemplare aus Deutsch Neu-Guinea, gesammelt und geschenkt von Dr. L. von Wiedenfeld; ...

[from here]

1912
Sitzung an 12. Januar.
[...]​

Der Vorzitsende begrüßt den als Gast anwesenden Herrn Dr. L. v. Wiedenfeld aus Silberkopf bei Ratibor.

[from here]​

Thus, and thereby, (for whatever it's worth): I'd say that Lothar von Wiedenfeld (1853–1933), does seem to be "our guy", collector on New Guinea (1909–1910), whose full name apparently was Joseph Wilhelm Lothar von Wiedenfeld, and that he most likely was/is, the very one commemorated in ...

wiedenfeldi as in:
• the Barred Owlet-Nightjar ssp. Aegotheles bennettii wiedenfeldi LAUBMANN 1914 (OD in post #1)
• the invalid* (Papuan King) Parrot ssp. "Alisterus amboinensis wiedenfeldi" NEUMANN 1927 (see OD, ditto)

Well done guys!

Björn

PS. To me, he also seems to have collected insects (as of here), at least in November 1909.

---

*A synonym of today's Papuan King-Parrot ssp. Alisterus chloropterus moszkowskii (Reichenow, 1911).