Dr. Fűköh Levente szerk.: Malakológiai Tájékoztató 3. (Eger, 1983.)

S. Szigethy Anna: A Természettudományi Múzeum Mollusca Gyűjteménye

The most insignificant part of the Gastropoda collection, conserning the number of the species and the pieces, is that of the marine snails. This material is enriched by the gifts of the private collectors and the purchase of old collections, often without the indication of the provenance. The identified pieces without provenance can first of all be used for exhibitions. This part of the collection cannot be enriched by exchange, as we have no sufficient quantity either in species or in items for this purpose. The regroupping and the inventory of the material is done, the next task is to put the material in order. In lack of chest the collection is taken into two parts: the pieces of smaller body are placed in 20 drawers of a chest of the terrestrial and freshwater snails, while the larger pieces have a separate chest of larger drawers. The alcoholozed snails are dealt with separately. At the present they are stored in two chests in screwplugged bottles and vials preserved in izopropile or ethanol. The collection is arranged in taxonomic order, a bottle contains the animals of the same species. In many cases, if there are only a few members of the species the representatives of the same family are put in one bottle. The basis of the alcoholic collection is provided by 2200 identified, inventorized items. Besides there are at least 1000 items to be groupped and identified. We have about 100, mostly unelaborated marine snails. The systematic enlargemant of the alcoholic collection began much later than the restoration of the shell collection. About 50% of the Hungarian species are represented with preserved bodies. It seems to be a favourable ratio, if we could neglect the fact, that there are only 40—45 species to be found in such a quantity that can be dissected for reproductive system or any other anatomical examinations. Only some species of slugs and of the Helicidae are rich enough in specimens to allow series examination. The conservation of the small bodied snails is especially neglected. The alcoholic collection develops slower than the shell collection. The conservation of the body of the snails can be carried out mostly by larger expeditions, only some of the private col-