S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 32/1. (Budapest, 1979)

FOLIA ENTOMOLOGICA HUNGARICA ROVARTANI KÖZLEMÉNYEK (SERIES NOVA) XXXII. 1. 1979 P. 71-95 Contributions to the Braconid fauna of Hungary, I. Opiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) By .1. PAPP (Received August 30, 1978) Abstracts: 92 species of Opiinae are recorded mainly from Hungary, and some species are reported from the adjacent countries (CSSR: Slovakia, Romania: Transylvania, Yugoslavia: Croatia and Voyvodina), i.e. from the Carpathian Basin, too. The plurality of the species are new to the fauna of Hungary or to the Carpathian Basin. Every species is characterized from the viewpoint of taxonomy and zoogeography (localities, distribution). The species are divided in the following six genera indicating the number of the respective species in brackets: Ademon Hal. (2) Opius Wesm. (74), Pokomandya Fi. (1), Biosteres Forst. (11), Diachasma Forst. (3) and Bitomus Szépl. (1). Introduction. - Parallel with the elaboration of the Braconid volumes of Fauna Hungáriáé it seems preferable to contribute the new results of the exploration of the Hungarian Braconidae obtained either in taxonomy or faunistics. Our knowledge on the Hungarian Braconid wasps is based on the big collection accumulated in the Hungarian Natural History Museum (Budapest) over one-and-a-half centuries. The first Hungarian specialist in the taxonomy of Braconidae was Gy. SZÉPÍTGETI (1855-1915) who published several papers on this subject at the turn of the last century. His own Braconid (and Ichneumonid) collection was purchased by our museum and up to now serves as a fundamental and authentic material, including a long series of types, in the searching of our fauna. The second, and at the same time the last, Hungarian expert in Braconidae was Dr. J. GYORFI (1905-1966) who was interested first of all in the bionomy of the Braconidae and on this subject he published many valuable papers enriching our knowledge on the life-history of Braconidae with very much direct observation data. He was one of the first entomologists in Hungary suggesting and striving for the application of the biological method in forestry. During the last three-four decades the Hungarian fauna, in general, was extremely intensively collected and explored. Within this work the Braconid collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum has been grown rapidly so that at present about fifty thousands of Braconids is preserved here originating mainly from Hungary and the adjacent countries (ÖSSR: Slovakia, Romania: Transylvania, Yugoslavia: Croatia and Voyvodina), i.e. from the Carpathian Basin as a zoogeographical district in Central Europe, and, furthermore, from several parts of the foreign lands of the five continents. The elaboration of our Braconid fauna is based on this collection, consequently, the taxonomical and faunistical results published in the present and subsequent contributions may be controlled by the re-examination of the material deposited here.