Forest fire remains among the most controversial topics in nature conservation. Here, we address changes in abundance and species composition of the bee and wasp community following a temperate forest crown fire that led to nearly complete defoliation and dieback of trees within 2 years. We found a highly dynamic community of 252 bee and wasp species (representing 18.8 % of total bee and wasp species known from the Czech Republic) that utilized 1-7-year-old burned forest stands. Species richness in the burned forest stands was significantly higher than that recorded in nearby forest that had been unaffected by any recent fire. The unburned forest hosted only 88 species. We found 42 red-listed species, of which 40 were present in the burned forest, while only 12 were present in the control forest. Numerous early-and late-responding species were detected, but maximum species diversity was reached 3 years after the fire. Only 7 of the total of 261 species were limited to the forest that was unaffected by any recent fire. A management regime that supported the presence of bare sand and heather patches, and removal of all but solitary pine trees, was found to be insufficient to support the full spectrum of forest fire-dependent species. This was mainly due to the absence of charred or decaying dead wood, which is otherwise utilized by numerous redlisted cavity adopters that are absent in the surrounding cultural landscape. Retaining part of the charred trunks is suggested as a novel post-fire conservation measure.

New faunistic data from the northern Hercynian Mountains and adjacent localities (Czech Republic) collected mostly at 52 sites in 2004–2010 are presented. Altogether, 88 species of moth flies (adults) of 38 genera (approximately 49% of all species of the family registered from the Czech Republic) are known to occur in this area. Twenty of these species were classified in the national Red List 2005 of threatened invertebrates and 14 are nationally scarce, suitable for further monitoring. Katamormia bezzii (Salamanna, 1983) and Berdeniella longispinosa (Vaillant, 1985) are new for Bohemia. In the appendix, the updated checklist of family Psychodidae is given for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

A new species, Apatenia stysi Trýzna & Baňař sp. nov. (Anthribidae: Anthribinae: Corrhecerini), from north-west Mad-agascar is described and the female allotype of Apatenia quadristigma Frieser, 1981 is redescribed. Female genitalia of A. stysi sp. nov. are studied and illustrated.

A new species, Basidissus bendai Trýzna & Baňař sp. nov. (Anthribidae: Anthribinae: Platyrhinini), from east Madagascar is described, female genitalia are studied and illustrated, and the mobility of the stylus of the toothed plate is discussed. Colour photographs as well as a key to Madagascan species of the genus Basidissus are provided.

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