Died 1810, Naples, Italy | ||
Filippo Cavolini (8 April 1756, Vico Equense – 15 March 1810, Naples ) was an Italian marine biologist.
The son of Nicola Cavolini, a Neapolitan lawyer, and Angela Auriemma, Filippo Cavolini left a legal career to devote himself to natural history. He became the Professor of Zoology at the University of Naples and Director of the Zoological Museum. His research style, similar to that of Lazzaro Spallanzani, led to important results in the arena of marine biology and botany (Memorie per servire alla storia de' polipi marini -1785- Memoria per servire alla generazione dei pesci e dei granchi - 1787). He died following an assault by a soldier while he was researching by boat in the Gulf of Naples: he fell into the sea and died a few days later from pneumonia. The opisthobranch family Cavoliniidae honours his name.