Az Alpokalja természeti képe közlemények 5. (Praenorica - Folia historico-naturalia. Szombathely, 2002)

V PRAENORICA FOLIA HISTORICO-NATURALIA 2002 BEETLE COLLECTION OF THE SA VARIA MUSEUM (SZOMBATHELY, HUNGARY) IL* LEAF BEETLE COLLECTION OF ATTILA PODLUSSÁNY (COLEOPTERA

, CHRYSOMELIDAE) KÁROLY VlG Savaria Museum, Department of Natural History H-9700 Szombathely, Kisfaludy S. u. 9., Hungary Beetle collection of the Savaria Museum (Szombathely, Hungary) II. Leaf beetle collection of Attila Podlussány (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) — This study contains the collection data for the specimens in a collection of leaf beetles from North, Middle and Southeastern Europe (excluding Turkey) and the territory of the former Soviet Union, owned by the Savaria Museum in Szombathely (Hungary). The collection was purchased in 1995 from the amateur coleopterist Attila PODLUÍ SÁNY. This part of the collection contains some 8500 specimens of 451 taxa (species and subspecies). They include many rare or very rare species. These give the collection a great value further enhanced by the fact that a significant part derives from areas of the Balkans where collecting conditions have become impossible in recent times due to political changes. Lilioceris schneiden (Weise, 1900) and Cassida bergeali Bordy, 1995 have proved to be new to the fauna of Hungary, as have Psylliodes brisouti Bedel, 1898 and Longitarsus albineus (Foudras, 1860) to that of Macedonia, and have Mantura rusiica (Linnaeus, 1767) and Longitarsus rectilineatus (Foudras, 1860) to the fauna of Greece. INTRODUCTION It has been stated on many occasions (but hardly often enough) that study and protection of the fauna and flora of the Carpathian Basin is one of the prime universal and national tasks for Hungarian researchers. This was also prominent among the reasons given for instituting strategic researches within the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. One of the major groups of research subjects concerns the preservation of biodiversity. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (Hungarian Act LXXXI/1995) The first contribution is HORVATOVICH, S. (1992): The ground-beetle collection of the Savaria Museum (Coleoptera: Carabidae). — Savaria a Vas megyei Múzeumok Értesítője (1991), 20(2): 123-136.