Haris Attila: Hymenoptera Research in the Carpathian Basin - Natura Somogyiensis 29. (Kaposvár, 2016)
Early History of the Aculeata research in Hungary from the 16th till the 19th century (1560–1800)
42 Natura Somogyiensis Early History of the Aculeata research in Hungary from the 16th till the 19th century (1560-1800) In 1986, on an auction appeared a sensational codex, known as: Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta written and illustrated by György Bocskay and Joris Hoefnagel. "Once upon a time", in the XVI century, there was a Hungarian nobleman, certain György Bocskay (1525 (around) Raszinyakeresztúr (Apajkeresztúr) - 8th April 1575 Wien) member of the Hungarian Royal Chancellery as scrivener, secretary and royal councillor. Although, his son was called István, however, this István is not identical with István Bocskay, governor of Transylvania (although the same dynasty). Very little is known about his life, he came from the Croatian branch of Bocskay family. Probably, he would have been completely forgotten, if he, as a secretary of the Hungarian royal court had not prepared that writing sample book in 1561-62 which made him as one of the most prominent calligrapher of the world. This is the book, which is well known as Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta, the "bible" of international calligraphy. Thirty years later, king Rudolf of Hungary (and also German-Roman Emperor) commissioned the well known Flemish painter and illustrator Joris Hoefnagel to complete with artistic illustrations of the Bocskay codex. In that time, Joris Hoefnagel traveled around the kingdom of Hungary and made artistic aquarells and colored engraves on the towns, fortresses of the country. Joris Hofnagel never met György Bocskay. In 1575, when Bocskay died, Hoefnagel still stayed in Antwerp, only in 1591, he moved to the court of King Rudolf. However, in a short epigram, he expressed his appreciation to Bocskay: "Hungarus ut calamo Zeuxis, sic Belgicus arte Delicias ornant, magne Rudolphe, tuas! Ingenio pares, studiis, et nomine pares Rumpatur quisquis, rumpitur invidia." Soon after, Hoefnagel started the illustration of the MCM with miniatures of the flora and fauna of the Royal Hungary containing highly artistic and realistic color figures of approximately 190 plants, 135 insects, 8 reptiles and amphibians and 30 spider, snail, worm and centipede species. In the insects, there are numerous hymenoptera species but only 2 Aculeata species. One of them is an Eumenes species, very likely Eumenes pedun- culatus (Panzer, 1799). This is the first Aculeata species reported from the Royal Hungary. The other is an Ammpohila species, most likely Ammophila heydeni Dahlbom, 1845, although the identification is not easy, since the red colour of legs were not indicated, probably because of strong miniaturisation. The picture is perfectly much Ammophila modesta Mocsáry, 1883 but this is a very rare species living in the southwestern part of France, Spain and Portugal, and it is not very likely that Hoefnagel would have captured and painted this species. After the death of king and emperor Rudolf the 2nd, the codex disappeared and its deposition was unknown till the middle of the 19th century. The known owners: from 1887, Albert Milde from Wien; from 1907, Goldschmied from Frankfurt am Main; from 1916, Fritz Gans from Frankfurt am Main; from 1923, Louis Koch from Frankfurt am Main; from 1942, unknown European collector and in 1986 the Paul J. Getty Museum purchased the codex. More than 40 years later, the first Hungarian entomological monograph was published as early as 1637 by András Horvát Regéczi (Andreas Horvát Regéczi). He was calvinist priest bom in Petény, studied teology in Wittenberg between 1635 and 1637. After returning to Hungary, he continued his service in Kassa from 1644 and later in Trencsény. Finally, András Regéczi settled in Eperjes, where he became director of the local primary school. After the monograph of Aldrovandi in 1602 and Hoefiiagel in 1630, his work is the third entomological scientific book, titled Disputatio physica de insectis
