Karl Theodor Menke

Karl Theodor Menke
Born(1791-09-13)13 September 1791
Bremen, Germany
Died1861 (aged 69–70)
Bad Pyrmont, Germany
Alma materUniversity of Göttingen
Scientific career
Fields

Karl Theodor Menke (13 September 1791 – 1861) was a German malacologist and balneologist who was a native of Bremen. He is remembered for his research on snails.

Menke studied medicine at the University of Göttingen (with Promotion in 1814), and worked as a physician at the spa in Bad Pyrmont. In 1831, he was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. In 1844, he founded the journal Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie (from 1854 titled Malakozoologische Blätter). With Ludwig Karl Georg Pfeiffer (1805—1877), he was editor of the magazine.

During his lifetime, Menke amassed a large collection of snail shells, which were purchased by dealer M. J. Landauer of Frankfurt after his death.

The sea snail species Cerithium menkei and Natica menkeana are named in honor of Menke. In 1843, Menkea a genus of flowering plants from Australia, belonging to the family Brassicaceae was published and named in his honour.[1]

  1. ^ "Menkea Lehm. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 24 May 2021.