Jacques Carayon
Encyclopedia
Jacque Carayon was a French
entomologist
, best known for his pioneering research into traumatic insemination
. Carayon was Chairman of Entomology
at the National Museum in Paris
from 1975-1985.
and Cameroon
, and attended international entomological congresses across Europe and North America, before being elected to the Permanent Committee on International Entomological Congresses in 1980. Carayon spent his entire career based in Paris. He was President of the Entomological Society of France
from 1956, and Chairman of Entomology
at the National Museum in Paris
from 1975-1985 or 1986.
work was crucial to research. He owned a house in Provence, France, from which he conducted fieldwork during the summer months. In 1990, Carayon was involved in an automobile accident in Turkey
, which left him in a coma, with physical injuries from which he never fully recovered.
, and, in 1966, he was the first to suggest the spermalege
structure in bedbugs as a female counter-adaptation
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
entomologist
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, best known for his pioneering research into traumatic insemination
Traumatic insemination
Traumatic insemination, also known as hypodermic insemination, is the mating practice in some species of invertebrates in which the male pierces the female's abdomen with his penis and injects his sperm through the wound into her abdominal cavity . The sperm diffuse through the female's hemolymph,...
. Carayon was Chairman of Entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
at the National Museum in Paris
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle
The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle is the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.- History :The museum was formally founded on 10 June 1793, during the French Revolution...
from 1975-1985.
Career
Carayon was born on November 16, 1916 in Toulouse, France, the eldest of three children. His father, a medical doctor, died in 1938. This loss, coupled with an illness of his own, prevented Carayon from pursuing his medical studies, and he instead studied natural history in Paris. In 1946 and 1947, Carayon undertook expeditions to West AfricaWest Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
and Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, and attended international entomological congresses across Europe and North America, before being elected to the Permanent Committee on International Entomological Congresses in 1980. Carayon spent his entire career based in Paris. He was President of the Entomological Society of France
Société entomologique de France
The Société entomologique de France, or French Entomological Society, is devoted to the study of insects. It was founded in 1832.The society was created by eighteen Parisian entomologists on January 31, 1832...
from 1956, and Chairman of Entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
at the National Museum in Paris
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle
The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle is the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.- History :The museum was formally founded on 10 June 1793, during the French Revolution...
from 1975-1985 or 1986.
Personal life
Carayon married Gabrielle Carayon in 1947. His wife, a technician herself, became Carayon's assistant, and her histologyHistology
Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining cells and tissues commonly by sectioning and staining; followed by examination under a light microscope or electron microscope...
work was crucial to research. He owned a house in Provence, France, from which he conducted fieldwork during the summer months. In 1990, Carayon was involved in an automobile accident in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, which left him in a coma, with physical injuries from which he never fully recovered.
Legacy
Upon Carayon's death in 1997, colleague James A. Slater wrote that "hemipterology has lost one of its greatest and certainly one of its most versatile students... Prof. Carayon unquestionably deserves a place, not only as one of the leaders in Hemipterology in this century, but as one of the leading figures in the entire history of the science." Carayon undertook pioneering research into traumatic inseminationTraumatic insemination
Traumatic insemination, also known as hypodermic insemination, is the mating practice in some species of invertebrates in which the male pierces the female's abdomen with his penis and injects his sperm through the wound into her abdominal cavity . The sperm diffuse through the female's hemolymph,...
, and, in 1966, he was the first to suggest the spermalege
Spermalege
The spermalege is a special-purpose organ found in bed bugs that appears to have evolved to mitigate the effects of traumatic insemination. The spermalege has two embryologically distinct parts, known as the ectospermalege and mesospermalege...
structure in bedbugs as a female counter-adaptation
Sexual conflict
Sexual conflict occurs when the two sexes have conflicting optimal fitness strategies concerning reproduction, particularly the mode and frequency of mating, leading to an evolutionary arms race between males and females. The conflict encompasses the actions and behaviors of both sexes to influence...
.