History

The history of the dipterology unit at ZFMK has 1947 as the starting point. The first curator of Diptera at the Museum Koenig (still without the acronym ZFMK) was Dr. Bernhard Mannheims, who entered the museum in 1947 and died early in 1971. He was head of a Department of Entomology (Entomologische Abteilung) which, besides himself, included a coleopterist, a lepidopterist and a specialist of Phthiraptera responsible of his group, Hemiptera and most of the other smaller insect orders.

Later in the same year, Dr. Hans Ulrich entered in the museum as curator of Diptera on December 1, 1971, taking over the responsibility of the Diptera, Hymenoptera, Mecoptera and the neuropteran orders. Hymenoptera were also part of his duties until 1986 when these were taken over by a hymenopterist.

After Mannheims’ death, under the direction of Martin Eisentraut (1971-1977), the hierarchy among the entomologists was given up by raising each of the four curatorial units to an independent Department (Abteilung , viz. Dipterologische, Coleopterologische, Lepidopterologische Abteilung and Abteilung für entomologische Parasitologie). A later director, Clas Naumann (1988-2004), re-installed the former hierarchy and reduced the entomological departments to sections (Sektionen).

The name, Diptera Section, can be dated to that time, about 1992, whereas a competent curation of Diptera at the Museum exists since Mannheims’ entry in 1947 . I would regard 1947 as the starting-point in the history of the dipterology unit at ZFMK.

List of the Diptera curators:

1947-1971         Bernhard Mannheims.

1972-2000         Hans Ulrich  (officially retired August 1st 1999, but replacing himself until mid- 2000 ).

2000-2006         Bradley Sinclair.

2007-2011         Netta Dorchin.

2012-present   Ximo Mengual.