José Arechavaleta

José Arechavaleta (27 September 1838, Urioste, near Bilbao – 16 June 1912, Montevideo) was a Spanish-born pharmacist, geologist and naturalist, active in Uruguay.

At the age of 18, he emigrated to Uruguay, where he made the acquaintanceship of botanist José Ernesto Gibert (1818–1886).

In 1862 he obtained a degree in pharmacy, and later taught classes in botany, zoology and natural history at the University of the Republic in Montevideo.

In 1892 he was appointed general director of the natural history museum in Montevideo, a position he kept until his death in 1912.

[1][2] In Uruguay, he studied and collected insects from all parts of the country, being particularly interested in Coleoptera.