Gaston-François de Witte

Gaston-François de Witte is a Belgian herpetologist , born the June 12th 1897 with Antwerp and dead on June 1st 1980 with Brussels.

Very early impassioned by the reptiles, it fortuitously meets the large Belgian zoologist in station in London George Albert Boulenger (1858-1937) whereas it was only fifteen years old: Boulenger had come to study the collection of fossils consisted monks Benedictines who was in the college that Witte attended. Boulenger, at the time of its stays in Belgium and especially after having taken its retirement and to be themselves installed in Brussels, becomes professor de Witte. After the First World War, of Witte enters to the royal Musée of central Africa (1920) then, when is created the Muséum of the natural science of Belgium (1937), it directs the departments of zoology and entomology.

He studies herpetologic fauna particularly Belgian Congo. He there travels several times and gathers some 173.000 specimens of reptiles and Amphibians.

Among its publications, it is necessary to quote:

Generated Snakes of Congo and Ruanda-Urundi (1962).
Batrachians collected in Belgian Congo by Dr. H. Schouteden and Mr. G. - F. of Witte (1934).
has new chameleon from the Congo (1964).
Batrachians and reptiles (1941).

Source

Kraig Adler (1989). Contributions to the History off Herpetology, Society for the study off amphibians and reptiles: 202 p.

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