Eugène Le Moult

Eugène Le Moult (31 December 1882, Quimper – 26 January 1967, Paris) was a French naturalist and entomologist specialised in butterflies; hunter, businessman and collector.

Le Moult grew up in the tropical prison colony of French Guiana, where his cash-strapped organic-farmer father had taken a post to develop the road network.

Hirohito (Showa Emperor of Japan), Sergei Khrushchev (son of the Soviet premier) and Vladimir Nabokov (author of Lolita) were amongst his Parisian cabinet's clients.

It is, however, a meticulous species-level classification, describes dozens of subgeneric taxa, illustrates the adults and male genitalia for all species, and gives an account of type specimens.

Le Moult's exploits were popular in French mass market publications of the mid-1950s, including an extensive article in Paris Match 2 March 1955 and a four-page graphic short story on his adventures in Tintin of 24 May 1956.

Portrait of Eugène Le Moult in the style of a Christian saint, a butterfly-net substituting the halo
Paratype of Prepona joiceyi Le Moult, 1932 . Now considered the a junior synonym of Prepona laertes louisa Butler , 1870 . Many more paratypes were sold than were mentioned in the description.
Holotype of aberration atromarginata of Agrias phalcidon phalcidon . Four names. Very expensive.