He finished his pharmacy studies in 1932 at the University of Barcelona. He was the president of entomology section at the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Catalunya (1932-1935) and of the Museu de Zoologia de Barcelona (1935-1939). He was also a technician of the Institut Municipal de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona and of the Museu de Zoologia (1941-1966), where he became director in 1966 until 1967.
As he was very interested in cave fauna, he is considered one of the best specialist of coleoptera knowledge. He became a member of the Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona (1969) and doctor honoris causa by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (1982). His work was distinguished with several Spanish prizes: Alfonso X el Sabio (1978), Premi Sant Jordi de la Diputació de Barcelona (1981) and Medalla Narcís Monturiol de la Generalitat de Catalunya (1984).
The year 2018 the Institute for Vallencs Studies and the city of Valls (Tarragona) designated it Human Heritage 2018. The act was celebrated the December 1th in Valls and was accompanied of the exhibition “Of beetles and other things…”, that went until the December 16th in Sala Sant Roc in the Alt Camp, county of Catalonia.
Main works
- Los tenebriónidos de Baleares (1954), Trabajos del Museo de Ciencias Naturales 1 (5): 1-96
- Fauna cavernícola de España (1969), Memorias de la Real Academia de Ciencias y Artes de Barcelona, 3a època 39 (9): 309-322
- Coleoptera Anobiidae (1992), Fauna Ibérica vol.2
- Datos para el conocimiento de los tenebriónidos del Meditarráneo occidental. Sèrie de 31 notes que comença el 1943 i acaba el 1967, publicades principalment a les revistes Graellsia i Eos.
- Francesc Español, 50 anys de recerca bioespeleológica (1981), Escola Catalana d'Espeleologia, Federació Catalana d'Espeleologia (recull dels 77 treballs de fauna subterrània publicats per Francesc Español entre 1934 i 1980).
Image gallery
