Acta Zoologica 40. (1994)
1994 / 1. szám
Benevolo Lectori Salutem On the 1st of September 1992, when the Biological Section of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences appointed me to the editorship of Acta Zoologica Hungarica, I was authorized not only to follow previous usage but also to reform our journal. The necessity of the reform was/is not directly connected with any of the extensive political and social changes still going on in our country. The publication of the journal as a whole, or any and all papers in it, had never been restricted by powers not in the field of science. The editors, to mention by name Dr. Árpád Soós only, produced a high level scientific journal, enforcing among others, respect for formal requirements. The original publication of four issues per year was at an early date contracted to two issues, numbering (1-2) and (3-4). Our journal was published, from its foundation to Volume 39, by the Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. During the last years the haphazardness in the dates of publication, the high cost of production, etc., called for reforms. The difficulties in publishing the last volume (Vol. 39) underlined the necessity of prompt action. The publishing house Akadémiai Kiadó required an unreasonably high financial support from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for the production of Volume 39, at least so in our opinion. And since there was a decision made by that time for a change in the publisher, beginning with 1994, the task to be undertaken by the Hungarian Natural History Museum, the cost of publication was proposed to be shared by the Akadémiai Kiadó, for the sake of a smooth transition. Namely, issue (1-2) was to be produced by them, issue (3-4) - the less voluminous one - by the Museum. Subsequently they changed their mind and renumbered issue (1-2) as (1-4) and thus declared papers for the original issue (3-4) as manuscripts for Volume 40. These latter papers will be published in our issues 40(1) and 40(2). Their volume will not be restricted - since they were “inherited” - as it will with future issues. The journal Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae (thus returning to its original name) will be published by the Hungarian Natural History Museum as its new steward. The production is sponsored by the Biological Section of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences through a grant system for the publication of scientific books and journals in biology. This system had to be established first, while the necessary steps in reforming the journal began only in November, 1993. Besides research papers, also short reviews, short communications (all those of international organisations and meetings), methodological reports and book reviews are planned to be published. Our “Instruction to Authors” are printed on the inner covers. The journal welcomes original papers in animal taxonomy and systematics as well as in animal ecology, community ecology and those discussing “pure science” basis for biodiversity and nature conservation problems - from any country in the world. Foreign authors are requested to pay a low page charge in order to cover costs of correspondence, postage of manuscripts and reprints. In case of bulkier papers this distinction vanishes: page charge for papers longer than 16 printed pages will be a sum of the gross cost (i.e. 40 USD) for everybody. Only manuscripts on floppy diskettes are acceptable for review and publication (any file is admissible which is compatible with ASCII format). The four issues per year permit a more immediate publication. Papers will be issued possibly within a