The Italian-Argentinian Mr. Dinelli and his birds (1 Viewer)

[Björn Bergenholtz]

This thread is a short sidetrack, a mere spin-off, from Mark's latest post (#178) in the fairly recent (but everlasting) thread "diagnosis not seen" for genus names in the Key A through S (here), as we´re suddenly not dealing with generic names, but instead with eponyms on a lower level.

In today's HBW Alive Key we find:

dinelliana / dinellianus / dinellii
Luis M. Dinelli (fl. 1939) Argentinian naturalist, collector (syn. Aeronautes andecolus, Pseudocolopteryx, subsp. Thamnophilus caerulescens).

In MS (of Swedish Common names) Mr Dinelli is only (briefly) mentioned, and there only as the collector of today's Hellmayr's Pipit Anthus hellmayri ("hellmayrpiplärka", in Swedish) which commemorates the Austrian ornithologist (not German-US, as is often claimed); Carl Eduard Hellmayr (1878-1944) a k a "Charles" ditto (in the US):

Det första kända exemplaret av den piplärkan som fått bära hans namn insamlades av den till Argentina utvandrade italienaren Dinelli 1904, i provinsen Tucumán, södra Argentina. ...

Meaning something like: "The First known specimen of the Pipit who bears his name [Hellmayr's] was collected in 1904, in the Tucuman Provence, in South Argentina, by Dinelli, an Italian who´d emmigrated to Argentina".

That´s all I´ve got on him.

I haven´t checked Dinelli's Doradito Pseudocolopteryx dinelliana, simply because it´s Swedish name is "argentinsk doradito" (that would be Argentinian Doradito, in English).

However, I had a quick look for Mr Dinelli, and the earliest mentioning of "Luis Dinelli" (that I could find, after this short session) is from 1895, in Registro oficial de la provincia de Buenos Aires (here).

The full paper (referred to by Mark) of Hornero 5 (3); here, p.371-376, by "Luis M. Dinelli", 1934 is to be read here. And in Novitates Zoologicae 16 (1909), on page 162 (here), we find:

... Monsieur Louis Dinelli, observateur scrupuleux et preparateur zélé de Tucuman, en plus d'envoyer de précieux matériaux à Venturi, a aussi remis des notes sur la nidification de plusieurs especes rares et intéressantes qu'il a observées.

But note that there also a "G. Dinelli" mentioned on p. 165 ...? However, several, many, many examples of "L. Dinelli" on the following pages (just about on every one!) all the way to p.285 (presumably making that "G." a simple typo).

Also see here: "Dinelli, Luis M. Tucumán (Argentina) ......... 1926".

Oddly (as we apparently know very little of him) he´s described as " The well-known Argentine naturalist, Luis Dinelli, ..." in Bird-lore (1930), here.

If originally Italian I think "Luigi" would be a more likely first name to look for ... ?

In any case in Sergi's Historia de los italianos en la Argentina (los italianos y sus descendientes a través del descubrimiento de América y de la historia Argentina), 1940, he´s mentioned (here) as:

LUIS DINELLI, Digno de mención es este naturalista, que vivió en Tucumán y fué muy estimado en Londres por sus interesantes colecciones.

And in Darwiniana 12 (1962) he´s also mentioned, simply, as "Luis Dinelli (italiano)", here.

For what it´s worth!

Björn

PS. Anyone who knows anything additional? Or anything contradictory? If so; meaning that he wasn´t of Italian origin!?
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[mb1848]

Thanks Björn, he is refered to as Luigi in another book about Italians in Argentina.

Tucuman, il modesto per quanto valoroso Luigi Dinelli, naturalista apprezzatissimo a Londra per le sue magnifiche collezioni.

Storia degli Italiani nell' Argentina by Giuseppe Parisi The rodent in the 1899 publcation was from the British Museum so he had some contact with them.
From an Italian publication

Luigi Dinelli On February 1, 1928, Commissioner Avv. Luigi Dinelli ceased to live in Monsagrati after a very short illness, at the age of sixty-eight. Because of his modesty, he had been somewhat forgotten for some time, if yes.

Must be another Luigi since Luis published his notes in 1933.

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Mark, I agree, the latter "Luigi Dinelli" that you mentioned, who passed away in February 1928 is most likely, clearly a completely different guy, as Monsagrati is located in Toscany, Italy, and "our" "Luis M. Dinelli" (possibly, originally, also named Luigi) as well published a Paper (here) in exactly that year, in Anales de la Sociedad Científica Argentina (written in Tucumán, dated "mayo"/May, 1928).

Either way; no additional info found on our guy; Mr "Luis"/"Louis"/"Luigi" (M.) Dinelli.

Björn

PS. And no trace of him, later than 1934 (as of, for example; here)
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[Björn Bergenholtz]

For completeness sake ... all of "his" birds:

● Dinelli's Doradito Pseudocolopteryx dinelliana LILLO 1905, as "Pseudocolopteryx Dinellianus " (OD unseen in full, by me, however see posts #175-178; here)
● the Variable Antshrike subspecies Thamnophilus caerulescens dinellii VON BERLEPSCH 1906 (here) as "Thamnophilus dinellii"
● the invalid subspecies "Apus andecolus dinellii" HARTERT 1908 (here), also see Hartert 1909 (here) and ditto 1922 (here). A synonym for today's Andean Swift (Apus) Aeronautes andecolus (ssp.?)

He´s also (for examples) commemorated in:
● the Bat subspecies Myotis levis dinellii THOMAS 1902 (here) as "Myotis Dinellii" ... Type collected in Tucumán [Province], the 7th of April 1899, by by "L. Dinelli".
● the Wasp/Bee Coelioxys dinellii HOLMBERG 1916 (here):

Tucuman (L. DINELLI specimen singulum reperit mihi dono datum).

● and (most likely) also the Fly/Gnat Simulium dinellii JOAN 1912 (OD unseen, but it sure looks like it here)

Either way; still nothing more than "L. Dinelli" (that is; not more than what´s been written earlier in this thread, of course)

Björn

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Maybe Mr L. Dinelli is possible to trace by his Daughter Cesarina!? See this link/connection:

Cesarina Dinelli (hija de don Luis Dinelli, naturista, y de doña Medarda Tasinari) ...

Just an idea? That´s the only additional part I have found regarding the Life of Mr Dinelli. Take it for what it´s worth. I assume it´s him.

Enough of Luís/Luis/Louis/Luigi Dinelli ... (at least on my part). I´m off to other etymologies!

Signor/señor Dinelli ... over and out!

/B


PS. If anyone feel like searching further; go for it ... and; good luck!
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[Taphrospilus]

Here as well an E. Dinelli. Typo or other guy? In here:

Phanerogams and 6 Cryptogams from Tucuman, Argentina, collected by Dr. L. Dinelli

Here he spoke at Congreso cientifico international Americano about:

Apuntes biológicos sobre las aves de la fauna argentina norte

Not sure if his publication El vuelo planeado was already mentioned (to many links).

 

[Björn Bergenholtz]

Quick return ...

Here as well an E. Dinelli. Typo or other guy? ...

As "our" L. Dinelli quite often is mentioned in context with Santiago Venturi I assume the "E." is a typo. Both were active in Tucumán Province, in the same Era. Señor Santiago Venturi apparently died there, in Tucumán, the 17th of November 1930 (here, p.435). But Dinelli kept going ... (he even published a Paper in the same volume of Hornero, see p.415).

No other, additional years found (on either one) ...

/B

 

[Taphrospilus]

To give him a second try The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claims:

Luis M. Dinelli was a naturalist and collector working in Argentina (1904–1939). He collected over 300 bird skins in Tucumán province (1904) which are now in the National Museum in Buenos Aires. He wrote 'Notas biológicas sobre las aves del noroeste de la República Argentina' (1918).

Still no middle name nor proper life dates. But mentioned here.

LUIS DINELLI. Digno de mención es este naturalista, que vivió en Tucumán y fué muy estimado en Londres por sus interesantes colecciones.

 

[PScofield]

Luigi Dinelli Born 1866 in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

His wife was Medarda Tassinari born 1872 Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

The family immigrated to Argentina:

1892/05/26

DUCCHESA DI GENOVA

He worked for some time at Museo de La Plata but moved to Tucuman where collected for the Museo Nacional, Buenos Aires in the 1900s.

I see no reason to doubt the death date of 1939 as his last paper was 1938. My guess is that his second name would be Maria.

P