The Italian contribution to zoological taxonomy until the 19th century

In Roman times in the antiquity, and following a gap of some 1200 years again in the Renaissance, the Italian peninsula hosted significant contributions to scientific zoology, taxonomy representing an important part of this science. This study analyses the Italian contribution to Linnean zoological nomenclature until around 1800 in relation to general European trends. In contrast to other European regions such as Spain, France, the Netherlands or Scandinavia, Italy provided a relatively continuous contribution to zoological nomenclature without gaps. The role of various men and women who provided outstanding contributions to the advancement of taxonomic science is briefly discussed, with various Italian authors ranging in the top group. This study contains also a language analysis. Initially Italian taxonomic contributions appeared mostly in Latin, basically also a language that was developed in what is today Italy. The modern Italian language slowly gained increasing importance in the 18th and 19th centuries. The scientific significance of Latin declined continuously after 1700 when studies were increasingly published in modern European languages. In the mid-19th century taxonomic publications appeared almost exclusively in five languages: German, French, Italian, English with increasing trend, and Latin with declining trend. Special attention is given to the development of scientific collection management and preservation of original material which is important as type material for zoological nomenclature. It is known that in central Europe much preLinnean type material has been lost, but in Italy a relatively high proportion has been preserved and is still accessible for study today. This applies in particular to material that after the death of authors was handed over to scientific institutions. My contribution intends to draw attention to the importance of preserving this outstanding part of the Italian scientific heritage of taking all necessary measures to maintain these precious collections in good conditions for the future.