Gustav Heinrich Kirchenpauer (1808–1887) of the City of Hamburg, and his research on hydroids and bryozoans

Gustav Heinrich Kirchenpauer was born 2 February 1808 in Hamburg, and he died in that city on 3 March 1887. In 1810 he was taken with his family to St. Petersburg, Russia, to escape economic hardships during the occupation of Hamburg and continental blockade of the United Kingdom by Napoleon. He attended secondary school and university in Dorpat (Tartu), Estonia, and earned a doctorate in law from Universtät Heidelberg in 1831. Kirchenpauer returned to Hamburg in 1832 as a lawyer and journalist, gaining recognition as a specialist in international trade. He later served as senator, federal council representative, and seven-time Bürgermeister (mayor) of the city. One of his avocations was natural history, especially taxonomy of hydroids and bryozoans. While he published only six papers with information on Hydrozoa, Kirchenpauer described and named eight genera and 77 species and subspecies of hydroids. Three familiar genera (Abietinaria, Lytocarpia, Macrorhynchia) and nearly half of the species he founded are still recognized as valid. In four papers dealing at least in part with Bryozoa, he named and described one new genus and 26 new species-group taxa in that group. Hydroids and bryozoans studied and described by Kirchenpauer came from many parts of the world, especially Australia, the western Pacific and mid-Pacific islands, South Africa, Europe, the Russian Far East, and the eastern South Atlantic. Kirchenpauer was awarded an honorary doctorate from Universtät Kiel in 1876 for his scientific contributions. One family, one genus, and four species have been named in his honour.