Johann Georg Wagler


Johann Georg Wagler was a German herpetologist and ornithologist.
Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and gave lectures in Zoology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich after that was moved to Munich. He worked on the extensive collections brought back from Brazil by Spix, published partly together with him books on reptiles from Brazil. Wagler wrote Monographia Psittacorum, which included the correct naming of the blue macaws.
In 1832, Wagler died of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound while out collecting in München-Moosach.

Legacy

Wagler is commemorated in the specific names of three species of reptiles: Atractus wagleri, Podarcis waglerianus, and Tropidolaemus wagleri.
Wagler described a taxonomic arrangement of psittacine fauna, parrots and cockatoos, some of which are recognised in the systematic classification of these birds.

Publication

Four of Wagler's books and articles are available at the Biodiversity Heritage Library: