Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 100. (Budapest 2008)

Bálint, Zs.: Lepidoptera collections of historical importance in the Hungarian Natural History Museum

material for his books. He was the sole author of the first three volumes of the book series "Die Schmetterlinge von Europa", and the fourth volume was finished with the collaboration of TREITSCHKE in 1816. The series was taken by TREITSCHKE and the entire opus was completed in ten volumes, which is represented by two complete sets in our Library (inventory numbers: Ec 5 (in the original wrappers: IMRE FRIVALDSZKY'S copy) and Ec 102 (hard cover in elegant green clouth binding: colonel VIKTOR BARTHA's copy)). OCHSENHEIMER was the describer of many European butterflies and moths, and in his collection there are many primary and secondary types, which are in need of careful evaluation. Although it is generally known that the OCHSENHEIMER collection was "partly destroyed in floods" (HORN et al. 1990: 287, KuDRNA & WlEMERS 1990: 61), there is no published inventory for the remaining and existing material, which contains primary types of many European species such as Colias europomone OCHSENHEIMER, 1808, Lycaena iolas OCHSENHEIMER, 1816, Palaeochrysophanus eurybia (OCHSENHEIMER, 1808), (Fig. 8) Phalera bucephaloides OCHSENHEIMER, 1808, Pieris bryoniae OCHSENHEIMER, 1808, Thymelicus lineolus OCHSENHEIMER, 1808, and many others, including species described by other lepidopterists, like Cucullia mixta FREYER, 1842. The Friedrich Treitschke collection Material - According to the catalogue of the "TREITSCHKE Sammlung" the collection contained 9,501 specimens of 2,582 species (ANONYMUS 1842). The catalogue has a handwritten supplement of further 236 specimens of European and 88 specimens of exotic Lepidoptera attached to a record sent to Palatine JOSEPH dated l

l of May, 1843 (copy in the archive of the HNHM Lepidoptera collection). The material listed by ANONYMUS ( 1842) is preserved today in the original contractor of 42 drawers in size 42 x 55 cm with glass cover (Fig. 9). All of these were placed into a hard wooden cabinet designed specially for the TREITSCHKE collection recently. Very few specimens listed in the handwritten supplement were traced in the general collection (Fig. 10). These are mainly exotic specimens, which are kept now in a special drawer with individual tray contactors in the shelf containing OCHSENHEIMER material. The drawers contain red framed handwritten curatorial labels with scientific names indicated in the printed catalogue (Fig. 11). All the specimens possess a small (5x7 mm) black bordered label with the inscription "TREITS" (printed) in the upper and a printed number in the lower part, which is identical with the number of the species indicated in the catalogue. All the specimens are pinned on long silver pins commonplace in the 18-19

c centuries (Fig. 12). History - GEORG FRIEDRICH TREITSCHKE (* 29 August 1776 Leipzig - 1

4. Juni 1842 Wien) was primarily a merchant, but later he dedicated his life to theatre-related topics, and became a successful librettist (just to mention LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN'S Fidelio and ANTONIO SALIERI'S Die Neger), then an influential theatre economist in the HABSBURG imperial-royal court in Vienna. He was an admirer of the actor OCHSENHEIMER, whom he