Coleopterology in Laos - an introduction to the nature of the country and its coleopterological exploration

An introduction to the physical environment of Laos is provided, including vegetation, fauna,conservation and habitat types, intended to serve as general background information for entomologicalresearch in that country. An overview of the history of entomological - particularly coleopterological - surveysin Laos is provided, including information about collectors and the places in which their material is deposited.A detailed list of localities surveyed in the course of the seven Laos expeditions undertaken by the BaselNatural History Museum (2003-2012, all organised by Michel Brancucci), is provided, including associateddata such as geographical coordinates, altitude and collecting dates. A comparison between existing samplinglocalities and the available habitats in Laos reveals the coleopterologically least-explored areas, such as themontane rain forests of both the Annamite range along the border to Vietnam, and the Luangprabang rangewest of the River Mekong, as well as the lowland habitats east and west of the southernmost section of theMekong.