Frederic Moore

Who was Frederic Moore?

Frederic Moore FZS was a British entomologist. It has been said that Moore was born at 33 Bruton Street but may be incorrect given that this was the address of the menagerie and office of the Zoological Society of London from 1826 to 1836.

Moore was appointed an assistant in the East India Company Museum London from 31 May 1848 on a "disestablished basis" and became a Temporary Writer and then an Assistant Curator at the East India Museum with a pension of £330 per annum from 31 December 1879. He had a daughter Rosa Martha Moore. He began compiling Lepidoptera indica, a major work on the butterflies of the South Asia in 10 volumes, which was completed after his death by Charles Swinhoe. Many of the plates were produced by his son while some others were produced by E C Knight and John Nugent Fitch. Many species of butterfly were described by him in this work.

"Moore entered the doors of entomology by way of his artistic abilities. Dr. T. Horsfield, long associated with the East India Museum, required someone capable of doing natural history drawings and, through an introduction, Frederic Moore obtained the post. Thus began a lifetime association with Indian Lepidoptera"