Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander von Mechow

Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander von Mechow (born December 9, 1831, in Lauban; d. March 14, 1904 in Jugenheim) was a Prussian explorer of Africa, and a naturalist. Von Mechow was a specialty collector of phanerogams, particularly in Angola. He held the rank of major in the Prussian Army.

Von Mechow joined the Loango-expedition under Paul Güssfeldt. He undertook a second larger exploration between 1879 and 1882 in Angola, where he explored the middle course of the Kwango River. He collected birds for Jean Cabanis and Anton Reichenow at Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin.

Several species are named for him including Papilio mechowi, the Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo and Mechow's mole-rat .