Fermín Zanón Cervera
Encyclopedia
Fermín Zanón Cervera was a Spanish zoologist, born in Godelleta
, Valencia
. He fought in Cuba in the Spanish–American War and stayed on after as a member of the Civil Guard prior to becoming a professional naturalist. He worked in the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture and Agronomy where he was conservator of the entomological collection.
American herpetologist
Thomas Barbour
had been accompanied by Cervera on his visits to Cuba, and on hearing of the strange birds to be found in the Zapata Swamp
, he sent the Spaniard on a series of trips into the region. There he discovered three bird species new to science that he sent to Barbour for formal description.
The binomial names given by Barbour to two of the new species commemorate their finder.
The wren, rail and one subspecies of the sparrow are endemic
to the swamp. Cervera also found many new insects, especially of the order Neuroptera
.
In 1927 Cervera returned to Spain to continue working as an entomologist, and remained in his hometown of Godelleta until his death in 1944.
Godelleta
Godelleta is a municipality in the comarca of Hoya de Buñol in the Valencian Community, Spain....
, Valencia
Valencia (province)
Valencia or València is a province of Spain, in the central part of the Valencian Community.It is bordered by the provinces of Alicante, Albacete, Cuenca, Teruel, Castellón, and the Mediterranean Sea...
. He fought in Cuba in the Spanish–American War and stayed on after as a member of the Civil Guard prior to becoming a professional naturalist. He worked in the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture and Agronomy where he was conservator of the entomological collection.
American herpetologist
Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...
Thomas Barbour
Thomas Barbour
Thomas Barbour was an American herpetologist. From 1927 until 1946, he was director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology founded in 1859 by Louis Agassiz at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
had been accompanied by Cervera on his visits to Cuba, and on hearing of the strange birds to be found in the Zapata Swamp
Zapata Swamp
Zapata Swamp is located on the Zapata Peninsula in the southern Matanzas province of Cuba. It is located less than southeast of Havana.-Species and preservation:...
, he sent the Spaniard on a series of trips into the region. There he discovered three bird species new to science that he sent to Barbour for formal description.
The binomial names given by Barbour to two of the new species commemorate their finder.
- Zapata WrenZapata WrenThe Zapata Wren, Ferminia cerverai, is a medium sized grayish-brown bird that lives in dense shrubs of the Zapata Swamp, Cuba. It is the only member of the monotypical genus Ferminia....
Ferminia cerverai - Zapata SparrowZapata SparrowThe Zapata Sparrow, Torreornis inexpectata, is a medium sized grey and yellow bird that lives in the grasslands of the Zapata Swamp and elsewhere on the island of Cuba. Measuring about in length, it is grey and yellow overall with a dark reddish-brown crown and olive-grey upperparts.The Zapata...
Torreornis inexpectata - Zapata RailZapata RailThe Zapata Rail is a 29 cm long, dark-coloured rail, the only member of the monotypic genus Cyanolimnas. It has brown upperparts, greyish-blue underparts, a red-based yellow bill, white undertail coverts, and red eyes and legs. Its short wings render it almost flightless...
Cyanolimnas cerverai
The wren, rail and one subspecies of the sparrow are endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to the swamp. Cervera also found many new insects, especially of the order Neuroptera
Neuroptera
The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order contains some 6,010 species...
.
In 1927 Cervera returned to Spain to continue working as an entomologist, and remained in his hometown of Godelleta until his death in 1944.
