Written by Jean-Jacques Geoffroy and the CIM-Secretariat. Copyright© 1999-2001, Centre International de Myriapodologie
Summary / Sommaire
The last student of the classical European, Verhoeffian myriapodology,
expert of numerous soil-dwelling arthropod groups, prominent follower
of early cenology, Hungarian zoologist Prof. Dr. Imre LOKSA deceased
suddenly on 21st of July, 1992, in Budaprest, Hugary, at age of
69.
Born on 24th pf April, 1923, in Budapest, he graduated in 1946
from the Eötvös Lorand University of Budapest, as teacher
of biology and geography. He was immediately employed at the same
university, Department of Zootaxonomy, where he has afterwards
worked for more than 45 years, including six years of being the
head of department. His scientific activity in his entire life
was heavily influenced by his zoology professor at the university,
Dr. Endre Dudich, a well-known cave researcher, who, with his
school-producing educational attitude and extensive scientific
knowledge raised and launched a coherent group of telented students.
These persons later all became prominent scientists of their special
fields on zoology, haeds of departments and directors of different
institutes in Hungary and abroad, and include such names as coleopterist
Zoltan Kaszab, acarologist and ecologist Janos Balogh, hymenopterist
Laszlo Moczar ; Arpad Soos, Jozsef Szent-Ivany, Gyula Fabian,
Mihaly Kosztarab and many others.
Imre Loksa in the early years of his studies specialized on spiders
(Arachnida), and kept this group in the focus of his attention
until the very end. However, during the fortyyears of permanent
contact with university students, he soon realized that numerous
other soil-dwelling arthropod groups are less attractive or completely
neglected by the current Hugarian zoology. Being convinced by
the importance of these (in species number) relatively smaller
invertebrate taxa, he became an accepted expert on Isopoda, Chilopoda,
Diplopoda, Pauropoda, Symphyla, Collembola, Protura, Diplura,
Machilidea, Lepistatidea. Although his taxonomic contributions
to some of these groups (especially those of the exotic faunas)
may leave more or less to be desired, there can be no doubt that
his merits are inevitable in term of teaching and popularizing
these lesser-known animal groups in Hungary.There is no better
proof for that than his two volumes on spiders in the Fauna Hungariae
Series, his unsurpassed textbook of zootaxonomy, several popular,
well-illustrated books, and the countless number of smaller articles,
lectures and television programs.
His ramifying faunistical and cenological investigations on the
soil fauna were summarized in his exhausting (sic) publication,
the 500-page monograph "Die Bodenzoologischen Verhältnisse
der Flaumeichen-Buschwälder Südostmitteleuropas",
published in 1966.
Imre Loksa was an extensive collector, working tirelessly in almost
every territory of Hungary. He especially liked to collect in
caves, and visited virtually all known Hungarian caves. He left
behind an enormous amount of untreated material, wich certainly
hides a lot of interesting data about the soil fauna of Hungary.
His collection may give work to specialists of the different groups
for several years, on the international level as well.
He was the President of the Zoological Section in the Hungarian
Biological Society, member in the Zoological Committee of the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences, editorial member of the periodical
Acta Zoologica Hungarica.
He will be always remembered by the hundreds of students who where
educated in zoology by his wide scientific knowledge and by his
modest, peaceful, willing character.
A complete list of Imre Loksa's myriapodological publications,
and reprints (in limited amount) are available upon request from
Dr Zoltan Korsos, Zoological Department, Hugarian Natural History
Museum, Baross u. 13, H-1088 Budapest, Hungary.
Zoltan Korsos, April 1993
Written by Jean-Jacques Geoffroy and the CIM-Secretariat.
Copyright© 1999-2001, Centre International de Myriapodologie
Summary
/ Sommaire