Wilhelm Maribo Schøyen


Wilhelm Maribo Schøyen was a Norwegian entomologist. He was Norway's first government entomologist.
Wilhelm Maribo Schøyen is considered one of Norway's most prominent entomologists. He was an avid writer and left behind a large collection of scientific publications. He was the father of the government entomologist Thor Hiorth Schøyen.

Entomologist

Schøyen was born in Grue, Norway. He graduated from Ås Higher Agricultural School in 1867. He had also begun medical studies, but he did not finish because of health issues. From 1884 to 1891, Schøyen was a curator at the Oslo Zoological Museum, where he reviewed and systematized the museum's collection of lower animal groups. He started working as an agricultural entomologist in 1891. Every year he published a report on insect pests and plant diseases. These included reports from all over Norway, and also some about the biology of pests and how to fight them. In 1894, Schøyen became Norway's first government entomologist. He held this position until 1912. Schøyen was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. He was also present when the Norwegian Entomological Society was founded in 1904.

Insect collector

During his travels in Norway, Schøyen focused on collecting butterflies. In 1893 he published Fortegnelse over Norges Lepidoptera. In addition, he collected mushrooms and several other taxa of insects. These especially included agricultural pests, about which he wrote many popular science articles. His extensive insect collection is kept at the Oslo Zoological Museum today.

Awards and recognitions

Wilhelm Maribo Schøyen was named a knight of the Order of St. Olav in 1915.

Selected works

Schøyen authored more than 300 popular science and research publications. These include seven books, 70 research articles, 26 annual reports, and almost 200 popular science articles in magazines and journals. A complete list of Schøyen's works was compiled by Leif Reinhart Natvig. A list of his most important publications was published in the first issue of Norsk Entomologisk Tidsskrift in 1921.