OCCURRENCE OF AMPHIPODA IN HUNGARY SINCE 1853

Since the first finding in 1853 (Frivaldszky, 1865), 27 Amphipoda have been reported from Hungary, half of them being Niphargus species. The other amphipod species belong to the genera Gammarus, Dikerogammarus, Echinogammarus, Corophium, Synurella, Orchestia, and Talitrus. The mo st detailed data are avaiable from Lake Balaton where altogether 8 spe cies were found in different habitats, only a few species occurring to gether. In the 1930s Corophium curvispinum invaded Lake Balaton. This species was reported from Hungary for the first time in 1916 (from the Danube). In the 1950s Dikerogammarus species replaced Gammarus roesel ii in the lake. We investigated the ecology of the Amphipoda fauna in Lake Balaton from 1983 to 1987. Both on the submerged macrophytes and in the stony littoral zone of Lake Balaton Corophium curvispinum, Dike rogammarus haemobaphes, and Dikerogammarus villosus occur, with domina ncy of Corophium curvispinum. C. curvispinum and D. haemobaphes, livin g on the submerged macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum near Tihany penins ula, reproduce in late spring, summer, and early autumn. They produce two generations a year. The biomass of C. curvispinum and D. haemobaph es was roughly 11 and 0.1 g animal dry wt.m-2, respectively, in mid-Ju ly 1986, in areas covered by Myriophyllum spicatum.