S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 31/1. (Budapest, 1978)

The sandy beach offered only one collecting possibility along the algal bars following the water edge (No. 135, 160), where our early morning netting proved successful. The strip of land somewhat off the shore (30-150 m) was delimited by a low, 2-3 m high row of dune where Carex and various Gramineae formed a turf with some date palms and ruderal vegetation. Our efforts with net here were well rewarding (No. 156, 180), also the soil-traps yielded good results (No. 170). The beetle material deserves special mention which was extracted from among the roots of various plants. During our night lamping in principle this fauna was collected (No. 151, 159, 165). A different kind of seashore was encountered in the environs of Monastir, where piers, the adjacent stony - sandy areas and the calcareous stretch in front of the harbour were collected. Along the piers we made collectings over the algal mass and other floatsome of organic origin (No. 161), also turned over stones (No. 163) and used the net over the bushes on the shore (No. 186). We captured numerous Diptera and Hymenoptera attracted by the inflorescence of Chrithmum maritimum inhabiting the steep rocks of the peninsula-like limestone block. 2. Clayey - marl soil off the shore A part of this ground is still under cultivation (date plams, olive tree groves, orchards), another part had obviously been cultivated but now abandoned, while small stretches conserved the original vegetation. We collected in all three biotopes, but owing to the dry spell with rather poor result. Some valuable material was extracted by sifting the debris accumulated at the bases of leaf stalks of palms (No. 157), furthermore the digging out of shrubs ant other plants, as well as collecting along the shore proved successful. The marshy bank of a rivulet, the water edge of a small, round pond yielded some good material (No. 168). Since the intermediate strips of land between the olive groves and the same in the date plantations had not been ploughed, the ground was covered by a closed turf. In the ploughed fields large numbers of Erigeron and various Chenopodiacea proliferated, though mostly they passed the inflorescence stage. 3. Salt-lakes and marshes Near Skanés in Sahline (salt-making is still in course), as well as near Monastir large salt-lakes and dry salt basins and salt marshes are found. Our best collecting places were the dry marshy places covered with Juncus (No. 147). Beside the salt-lakes in several places but especially in the environs of Sahline many Tamarix bushes mixed with Pinus halepensis and Gleditsia stands grew. Beating here was successful (No. 189), the soil traps were less fruitful than those applied in the previous two biotopes. The halophilous, mostly succulent vegetation near the shore harboured a very monotonous fauna. Obviously the early autumn season was rather unfavourable for several insect groups, but we nevertheless were much compensated that this fauna significantly differed from the one in spring. Verbal communication unequivocally stated that the summer was extraordinarily dry, since May practically there was no precipitation whatever. This long spell was broken on the 17th of September by a torrential rain with hail. From this day on the rains came down daily, and the origina! temperature of 30°C and above, fell to 27-28 then to 24 °C. This drop of temperature was accompanied by a strong wind thus the lamp which attracted large numbers of animals until this date now had to be abandoned. On the other hand, the movement of the soil fauna significantly changed, e.g. on the fourth day after the first rain masses of Tenebrionidae appeared.