Carolinea 78

Carolinea 78 (2020): 137-142, 7 Abb.; Karlsruhe, 29.01.2021 137 The Gelechiidae (Lepidoptera) in the collection of the State Museum of Natural History, Karlsruhe (SMNK) O leksiy V. B idzilya & R obert T rusch Kurzfassung Die Gelechiidae des SMNK wurden kuratiert und in einer Hauptsammlung neu angeordnet: In 91 Insekten- kästen wurden ungefähr 35.000 Exemplare in mehr als 800 Arten geordnet. Dies ist das Ergebnis der Integrati- on mehrerer separater Sammlungen sowie unsortierter Exemplare. Mit 125 Primärtypen (Holo- und Lectoty- pen) und einer beträchtlichen Anzahl von Exemplaren aus schlecht untersuchten Regionen ist die Gelechii- dae-Sammlung des SMNK eine der artenreichsten Sammlungen dieser Familie weltweit. Das Material aus der Sammlung wird häufig in aktuellen taxonomischen Revisionen der Gelechiidae verwendet. Die Geschichte der Sammlung wird kurz besprochen. Abstract The Gelechiidae of the SMNK were curated and re- arranged in a main collection: approximately 35,000 specimens of more than 800 species have been arran- ged in 91 drawers. This is the result of the integrati- on of several separate collections as well as unsorted specimens. With 125 primary types (holotypes and lectotypes) and a considerable number of specimens from poorly studied regions, the Gelechiidae collection of the SMNK is one of the most species-rich collections of this family worldwide. The material from the collec­ tion is frequently used in recent taxonomic revisions of Gelechiidae. The history of the collection is briefly discussed. Authors Dr. O leksiy V. B idzilya , Institute for Evolutionary Ecology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 37 Academician Lebedev str., 03143, Kiev, Ukraine; E-Mail: olexbid@gmail.com Dr. R obert T rusch , Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Erbprinzenstr. 13, D-76133 Karlsruhe; E-Mail: trusch@smnk.de With more than 800 species and about 35,000 specimens the collection of Gelechiidae at the SMNK is the largest within Germany and one of the most representative for this family not only in Europe but worldwide. For decades, the ge- lechiids were stored in separate collections, but recently they have been rearranged to form an up-to-date systematical depository. The collec- tion comprises extensive material representing the faunas of Germany and Europe, as well as other areas of the Palaearctic. The Oriental and Neotropical regions, however, are only poorly re- presented. The fauna of Germany is represented mainly by collections of K arl S trobel (inventory number E-Lep. 26 ) , H ans W agner ( E-Lep. 27 ) , H ans von T ürckheim ( E-Lep. 15 ) , G ustav R eich ( E-Lep. 5 ) , H elmut S teuer ( exchange material with other col- lectors ) , A lois G remminger ( E-Lep. 3 ) , and others. For the history and the inventory numbers E-Lep. 1-202 of the SMNK’s Lepidoptera collection see the publications by E bert (1964, 1977, 2004) and T rusch (in prep., E-Lep. 203 onwards). The majo- rity of this particular material has been collected before World War II in Southwest and East Ger- many, i.e. the area of Karlsruhe and Berlin, as well as in Bavaria and other areas of Germany. The important historical collections of C arl R eut ­ ti ( E-Lep. 12 ) , A dolf M eess ( E-Lep. 9 ) and H er - mann L ienig ( E-Lep. 28 ) are more representative. They comprise not only material from Germany but also from France, Spain, and Italy, as well as from the Alps and other regions of South and Southwest Europe. The most significant part of the Gelechiidae collection of the SMNK with great scientific value is represented by material originating from the collections of H ans G eorg A msel ( beside his pre-war collections the inven- tory numbers E-Lep. 47, 48, 113 ) , K arl B urmann ( E-Lep. 304 ) , and W olfgang G laser ( no inventory number by R.-U. R oesler ) . The well-known German lepidopterist H. G. A msel curated the Lepidoptera collection at the SMNK from 1955 to 1973. Prior to this, A msel has been an employee of the Übersee-Museum Bremen (= Städtisches Museum für Natur-, Völker- und Handelskunde 1896-1933, Staatliches Museum für Natur-, Völker- und Handelskunde 1933- 1935, Deutsches Kolonial und Übersee-Museum Bremen 1935-1951) from 1934 until after the end of World War II 1946, and brought parts of his collection to Karlsruhe after moving to this city.