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)
56 Natura Somogyiensis Aegidius Arnold Foerster in Aachen and even as schoolboy, he showed strong interest in insects and started to study entomology from Johann Wilhelm Meigen. After finishing his high school, he studied medical sceinces at University of Bonn, where he met Georg August Goldfuss and devoted his life to natural sciences. After his graduation, Förster found a job, in 1836, at "Higher Bürgerschule", later Rhein-Maas-Gymnasium in Aachen. Förster was founding member of "Natural Historical Society of the Prussian Rhineland" and also that of "Botanical Club of Middle and Lower Rhine". He was active in local politics either: Förster was member of the Catholic Civil Organisation, the "Constantia Society" in which he was president for a period and also was member of the Centre Party of the City Council of Aachen. He described 4 Coelioxys species, 1 Nomia species, 4 Hylaeus sepcies and 10 Chrysidoidea species from Hungary. These species he received "Herr, von Frivaldszky in Ungarn", very likely from János Frivaldszky, because Imre Frivaldszky retired in 1851 and János Frivaldszky was appointed to the Hungarian National Museum in 1852. These descriptions were published in 2 parts of"Eine Centurie neuer Hymenopteren" (Förster 1853, 1860) and in "Monographie der Gattung Hylaeus F, (Latr.)” (Förster 1871). Leopold Anton Kirchner (1808 Lerchenfeld - 29th December 1879 Kaplitz, medical doctor, hymenopterologist and dipterologist). In his catalogue, (Kirchner 1867) he mentioned only few Aculeata from Hungary, for instance Chrysis albipennis Klug without providing any information where this species were described by Klug. In Dalia Torre Catalogue, it was excluded as non existing species. Furthermore, he listed some of the species which were previously described from Hungary (they were already discussed above). Jean Antoine Dours (22nd March 1824, Bagnéres de Bigorre - 29th July 1874 Amiens) was French Hymenoptera specialist. In one of his main work, titled "Monographie iconographique du genre Anthophora", he described one species, namely Eucera semistrigosa Dours, 1869 from Greece, Algeria and Hungary which proved to be later synonym of Eucera interrupta Bar, 1850 (Dours 1869). Gustav Mayr (12th October 1830 Wien - 24th July 1908 Wien) high school professor at Budapest, later in Wien (his moving from Budapest to Wien was reasoned by the contemporary hungarization laws inside the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy after 1867). He was one of the founding members of the Wien Zoological and Botanical Society. Mayr was the first entomologist, who studied the Hymenoptera fauna of Transylvania. In his paper (Mayr 1853), he reported eight, mostly common Aculeata species. Joseph Etienne Giraud (31 st January 1820 Briancon - 28th May 1877 Paris). Joseph Etienne Giraud was medical doctor who practiced in Vienna and also in Paris. His field of research was mainly Hymenoptera but he also interested in Coleoptera. He described a bee species, Panurgus fasciatus Giraud, 1857 from Hungary based on a male and 1 female specimens received from "Mr. Kováts" (Gyula Kováts), collection manager of the Hungarian National Museum, Natural History (Giraud 1857). In his other work, titled "Description de plusieurs Apides nouvelles et observations sur quelques especes connues" Giraud mentioned 4 wild bee species from Hungary (Giraud 1861). József Török (14th October 1813 Alsóvárad - 14th March 1894 Debrecen). Medical doctor, naturalist, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The young József
