Johann Christian Mikan
Quick Facts
Biography
Johann Christian Mikan (born December 5, 1769 in Teplitz, died December 28, 1844 in Prague) was an Austrian-Czech botanist, zoologist and entomologist.He was the son of Joseph Gottfried Mikan.
Career
Mikan was a professor of natural history at the University of Prague.He was one of three leading naturalists on the Austrian Brazil Expedition.
He wrote Monographia Bombyliorum Bohemiæ, iconibus illustrata in 1796, Entomologische Beobachtungen, Berichtigungen und Entdeckungen in 1797, and Delectus Florae et Faunae Brasiliensis, etc. in 1820. Mikan described many new species, including the black lion tamarin.
Mikan is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of South American snake, Dipsas mikanii.
The genus Mikania Willd. (Asteraceae) was named for his father Joseph Gottfried Mikan (1743–1814), professor of botany and chemistry at the Prague University.
