July 1, 2025

The "Animal world of Moldova" collection (1979-1986) - historical source of entomological research in Soviet Moldova

Key Points

The analysis shows the significant contributions of the 'Animal World of Moldova' collection to entomological research.
Among its five volumes, the work on insects serves as a pivotal resource for zoological studies in Moldova.
The retrospective comparison with a Romanian collection emphasizes differing approaches to animal science education.
Preserving these texts maintains a vital link to the scientific history of the Moldavian SSR and its contributions.

Abstract

The article synthesizes information about a valuable collection of Soviet-era books titled "The Animal World of Moldova", compiled by collaborators of the Institute of Zoology and Physiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Moldavian SSR. The texts were written in Russian and published by the "Ştiinţa" Publishing House in Chisinau between 1979-1986 with the aim of popularizing zoological sciences in the MSSR. The five volumes entitled Mammals (1979), Birds (1981), Fish, Reptiles and Amphibians (1981), Insects (1983) and Protozoa, Sponges, Coelenterates, Worms (1986) are analyzed in terms of their contents with special attention given to the volume dedicated to insects. The Soviet-era book series is compared with a similar collection published in Romanian between years 2003 and 2020 consisting of four volumes with the title Fish. Reptiles. Amphibians (2003), Invertebrates (2007), Mammals (2010) and Birds (2020). For these four valuable volumes, the team of authors was awarded the National Prize of the Republic of Moldova, 2013 edition.

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