S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 55. (Budapest, 1994)

We call attention to the so far incompletely explored significance of reed belts and their increased environmental protection. NATURE CONSERVATION CONSIDERATIONS The environmental importance of reed vegetation has been well known for long time, where the authors generally consider the water quality and the avifauna. More attention has been paid to the insect fauna since the 1960s. Our early results of this study were to realise how few species attached to reed belts are known in the Hungarian literature. It was then when we decided to find a larger number of reed-consuming phytophagous species; so later the presence of numerous obligate parasitoids associated with monophagous reed consumers was ascertained (partly still unpublished results). The scattered literature on the topic speaks for itself. On the basis of what has been said above, attention must be drawn to the importance of reed belts as food resource and habitat in maintaining biodiversity. We maintain that even small patches of reed vegetation, which otherwise would have no significance from either water quality or bird protectional point of view are important. The manifestation of resource partitioning shown by several different insect orders indicates, that it is more than justified to protect reed patches growing in different habitats, even if degraded. In the present article resource partitioning is displayed by the Lipara species, where they have preference for dry or wet reed stands. REFERENCES Abraham, R. (1983): Rakosina deplanata (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae) in der Haseldorfer Marsch bei Hamburg. - Ent. Mitt. zool. Mus. Hamburg 7(119): 397-398. Abraham, R. und Carstensen, B. (1982): Die Schilfgallen von Lipara-Arten (Diptera: Chloropidae) und ihre Bewohner im Schilf der Haseldorfer Marsch bei Hamburg. Ent. Mitt. zool. Mus. Hamburg 7(116): 269-277. Askew, R. R.(1971): Parasitic Insects, HEB London, 316 pp. Askew, R. R. and Shaw, M. R.(1979): Rakosina deplanata Boucek (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), a species new to Britain with host records and description of the male. Entomologist's Gaz. 30: 289-290. Blair, K. G. (1932): Some notes on the galls of Lipara lucens Mg. (Dipt.). - Entomologist's mon. Mag. 68: 10-13. Blair, K. G. (1944): Some galls of Lipara lucens Mg. (Dipt., Chloropidae) from Norfolk. - Entomologist's mon. Mag. 80: 189-190. Boucek, Z. (1955): Chalcidologické Poznámky III, Torymidae, Pteromalidae, Perilampidae a Eucharitidae. - Acta faun. ent. Mus. natn. Prage 30: 305-330. Boucek, Z. (1965): A review of the Chalcidoid fauna of the Moldavian SSR, with descriptions of new species (Hymenoptera). - Acta faun. ent. Mus. natn. Prage 11: 538. Carstensen, B. (1981): Die Schilfgallen von Lipara-Arten und ihre Parasiten. - Diplomarbeit, Hamburg, 65 pp.