S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 53. (Budapest, 1992)

FOLIA ENTOMOLOGICA HUNGARICA ROVARTANI KÖZLEMÉNYEK LUI 1992 p. 173-177 Zoological Collectings by the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Korea. 115. A Report of the Collectings of the Seventeenth Expedition By L. Ronkay & A. Vojnits (Received 2nd September, 1992) Zoological Collectings by the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Korea. 115. A Report of the Collectings of the Seventeenth Expedition. A detailed report on the zoological collecting trip to the Republic of Korea in 1992 and the total list of localities are given. Introduction As it is a well-known fact, the Korean peninsula has no biogeographical barrier in its medial part, but the exploration of its fauna - and flora - was strictly subdivided into two parallel parts after the Korean War. The southern part of the peninsula had been investigated by Korean and Japanese entomologists since the northern one was studied by joint expeditions of the staff of the Zoological Institute, Pyongyang and the zoologists of some of the former socialist countries (e.g. Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary and Poland). But, in spite of the political situation, a few East European zoologists initiated to keep contact with the South Korean colleagues, even in that period when it was more or less prohibited for them. Here it is necessary to mention the early cooperation of Dr. Kyu-Tek Park (Republic of Korea) and Dr. L. Gozmány (Hungary). In 1990, Dr. S. Mahunka, Deputy Director General of the Hungarian Natural History Museum (= HNHM), visited - besides some other institutions and universities - the Center for Insect Systematics (= CIS) in Chuncheon to give a lecture about the faunistical-zoogeographical studies of the HNHM in North Korea in the last twenty years. His visit was returned by Dr. K. T. Park one year later and, after the visits and discussions between the leaderships of the two institutes, an agreement for the medium - and long - term cooperation was established. As a part of this agreement, the systematic and zoogeographical study of the Lepidoptera fauna of the Korean peninsula (and the adjacent islands) was also proposed. The most important aims of the cooperation are the more detailed exploration of the lepidopterous fauna of the whole peninsula, including the zoogeographical and faunagenetic analyses of the Korean Lepidoptera. As the results of these