Matteo Botteri

Matteo Botteri, (1808 – 1877) also known as Matija Botteri, was a botanist, ornithologist, and collector.

Biography

Botteri was born on the island Hvar^[1] to an Italian family.^{[citation needed]} He began his early career in Dalmatia and nearby areas in the Ottoman Empire^[2] with flora and fauna, primarily ichthyologist investigations,^[1] while headquartered in Hvar.^[3] He, along with his contemporary Grgur Bučić [hr], sent materials to Georg von Frauenfeld for his studies.^[4] He also sent material to Friedrich Kützing. In 1854, he travelled to Mexico to collect plants on behalf of the Royal Horticultural Society.^[5] He settled in Orizaba, where he founded a museum^[6] and became professor of languages and natural history at Orizaba College.^[7]

Botteri's sparrow

Philip Sclater commemorated him in the name of the Botteri's sparrow, which Botteri collected as well as other birds in Veracruz in 1857.^[8][9] He amassed a collection of 120 unique bird species in the vicinity of Orizaba,^[10] including areas such as Tuxpango, Tehuipango.^[11] His keeping of slaty vireo brought attention as its green color stood out among its genus.^[12]

He died in Orizaba in 1877.^[1]