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

Phylum Arthropoda 123 new to the Hungarian fauna: Pirapion redemptum, Nanomimus anulatus, Dieckmanniellus helveticus (Apionidae); Trachyphloeus angustisetulus, Phyllohius vespertinus, Tanysphyrus ater, Anthonomus kirschi, Dorytomus nordenskioeldi, Lignyodes hischoffi, Rhynchaenus pseudostigma, Miarus monticola, Gymnetron asper, G. furcatum (Curculionidae); Crypturgus hispidulus, Cryphalus ahietis, Pityophthorus micrographus, P. lichtensteinii, Taphrorychus hirtellus, Pityogenes bistridentatus (Scolytidae) (PODLUSSANY 1996). Sopron (Kecske-hegy) also provided a species new to the Hungarian fauna: Simo variegatus. This can only be distinguished from S. hirticornis, a species previously known in Hungary, by examining the genitals of the female. (Neither species has males, as they reproduce by parthenogenesis.) The new species is more abundant than S. hirticornis, which was hitherto known only from the Kőszeg Hills (Bozsok: írottkő—PODLUSSANY 2001). Two new curculionoid species were found when examining material from the Hanság: Phloeotribus caucasicus (from Lébény) and Xyleborus alni (from a light trap at Kapuvár—PODLUSSANY 2001). These communications presaged the findings of a publication on the curculionoids of the Fertő-Hanság National Park. Apart from the two species just mentioned, a third was found recently in the Hanság that is new to science: Ceutorhynchus merkli (KOROTYAEV 2000). Altogether 443 species have been found in the park area, of which Polydrusus sparsus had previously been found only near Sümeg. Other rarities are Bagous friwaldszkyi, Rhynchaenus nisei and Trichosirocalus rufulus (PODLUSSANY 2002). Beetles, as well as moths, can be collected in light traps. This also allows the swarming and numbers of individuals from each species to be followed over time. Such data can provide a starting point for forecasting the prevalence of pests in forestry and agriculture and devising more efficient defences against them (TÓTH 1975). The first enumeration of the beetle fauna in neighbouring Burgenland appeared in 1964 (FRANZ 1964). Large amounts of data on the beetle fauna of Austria came from registers by CAROLUS HOLZSCHUH (1971, 1977 and 1983), where several locality data derive from pre-Trianon Western Hungary. 'Order-group' Neuropteroidea: Megaloptera (Dobson flies and alder flies), Raphidioptera (snake flies) and Neuroptera (lacewings)

41 No one in the West Hungarian border region has yet made regular, comprehensive collections of this taxon with a relatively small number of species, but careful study of the literature reveals numerous distribution records. SÁNDOR MOCSÁRY (1896b) in the Fauna Regni Hungáriáé gave occurrences of Mantispa styriaca in Kőszeg and Szombathely and the luteous alder fly (Sialis 41 The taxon previously known as Neuroptera has been split into several taxa. The Megaloptera, Raphidioptera and Neuroptera are now seen as separate. See SZIRÁKI, GY. 1996. Vízi recésszárnyúak (Megaloptera) rendje, Tevenyakú fátyolkák (Raphidioptera) rendje, Igazi recésszárnyúak (Neuroptera) rendje (Megaloptera, Raphidioptera and Neuroptera orders). In PAPP, L. ed. Zootaxonómia (Zootaxonomy), 214-18. Budapest. For simplicity's sake, we conform here to early faunistic works in treating these as one taxon in one section.