Vig Károly: Zoological Research in Western Hungary. A history (Szombathely, 2003)

Phylum Arthropoda 155 MIKA. According to the accession books of the museum, MIKA regularly sent bats to MÉHELY, and it can hardly be doubted that these were the ones from which MÉHELY had picked fleas for KOHAUT. The siphonapterous fauna of Hungary was examined by ISTVÁN SZABÓ, who found six flea species occurring in the West Hungarian border region: Ischnopsyllus octactenus, the giant flea (Hystrichopsylla talpae orientális), the human flea (Pulex irritans), a ceratophyllid (Ceratophyllus pullatus), Nycteridopsylla eusacra and Tarsopsylla octodecimdentata (SZABÓ 1964). In another study, he also published the hosts of these species (SZABÓ 1966). He demonstrated the presence of a flea assemblage on mice at Őriszentpéter (SZABÓ 1969 and 1972b). He presented the findings of research in the Bakony in another communication,

71 followed by a comprehensive study of the flea fauna in the vicinity of Sopron (SZABÓ 1972a). He had begun regular collection at six locations in the vicinity of Sopron in 1970, catching mainly small mammals in more than 200 live traps and killing traps. He collected fleas of birds by examining nests. The trapping also provided significant amounts of data about the small-mammal fauna of the area, which had hardly been studied before (SCHMIDT 1969). The traps caught specimens of all the species previously recovered from owl pellets, except the pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus). Altogether 306 mammal specimens were collected during the fieldwork, on which 465 flea parasites were found. These belonged to 16 flea species of the four main families to be expected, i.e. to a quarter of the species found in Hungary. One species, Amalareus arvicolae, proved to be new to the flea fauna of the country. The results of similar examinations were reported by JIRI RYBA (1978), who found 465 specimens of 13 flea species in the Sopron-Tómalom and Fertőboz districts. Another male specimen of Amalareus arvicolae was found on a common vole (Microtus arvalis) at Tómalom. Root voles (M. oeconomus) have been found to carry the fleas Hystrichopsylla orientális (Fertőújlak), Ctenophthalmus agyrtes bosnicus (Fertőújlak, and Hanság: Fehértó), С. assimilis (Fertőboz) and Megabothris walkeri (Fertőboz, Fertőújlak, and Hanság: Fehértó—MATSKÁSI et al. 1992). Examinations of the fauna of the Fertő-Hanság National Park, along with literary data and summaries of earlier and recent collections, have confirmed the occurrence in the park and its environs of 22 fleas parasitic on mammals (GUBÁNYI et al. 2002d). Studies of bird's nests in Vas County (Tömörd, and Szombathely: Kámon) by JÓZSEF GYURÁCZ were designed to examine specific animal associations. Artificial traps at the two locations caught parasites remaining after fledglings left the nest. The arthropods caught belonged to nine orders, but most of them were fleas. The rate of infestation was a high 70 per cent (GYURÁCZ 1992a). 71 SZABÓ, I. 1968. A Bakony-hegység Siphonaptera faunájának alapvetése (The Siphonaptera fauna of the Bakony Hills). A Veszprém megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 7:339-50.