He was president of the French Entomological Society (Société entomologique de France) in 1907.
He was president of the French Zoological Society (Société zoologique de France) in 1909.
In 1883 Marchal received his undergraduate degree from the Academy of Paris (University of France).
Marchal worked for the French government in Paris as an entomologist for the Ministry of Agriculture.
In 1912, based on the American experience with Novius cardinalis and the earlier work of Raymond Poutiers, he made the first release of acclimatized ladybugs in Europe, in Alpes-Maritimes in southeastern France, for the biological control of cochineal scale.