Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom after recognising a rare beetle species he found in the prison, Necrobia ruficollis.
Setelah dilatih sebagai seorang imam Katolik Roma sebelum Revolusi Prancis, Latreille dipenjarakan, dan hanya kembali kebebasannya setelah mengenali spesies kumbang langka yang ia temukan di penjara, Necrobia ruficollis.