Wojciech Niedbała

New species of Euptyctima (Acari, Oribatida) from New Zealand

Abstract Oribotritia contortula n. sp., O. contraria n. sp., O. teretis n. sp., Rhysotritia bifurcata n. sp., Microtritia contraria n. sp., M. glabrata n. sp., Hoplophthiracarus bisulcus n. sp., Austrophthiracarus pulchellus n. sp., and Notophthiracarus claviger n. sp. are described from New Zealand. The genera of Oribotritia Jacot, Rhysotritia Markel & Meyer, Hoplophthiracarus Jacot, and Austrophthiracarus Balogh & Mahunka are new records for New Zealand.

Euptyctime oribatid mites from Tasmanian rainforest (Acari: Oribatida)

Twenty-one, probably endemic, new species of Euptyctima from rainforest in Tasmania are described: two belonging to the Euphthiracaroidea and 19 to the Phthiracaroidea. Five species of Phthiracaroidea, recently described from continental Australia by the first author, were also found (Austrophthiracarus scopoli, A. sellnicki, Notophthiracarus alienus, N. flexiloquus and N. schusteri), as were four species of Eupththiracaroidea recently described from New Zealand (Oribotritia contortula, Microtritia contraria and M. glabrata) and a new but undescribed species of Oribotritia from New Caledonia. No species were found that had been recorded from outside the Australian biogeographic region: the only other species not previously recorded from Australia or New Zealand was Hoplophthiracarus montigenus Niedbala, originally described from Papua New Guinea and possibly of Gondwanan distribution. The likelihood of the high degree of endemism of the Tasmanian euptyctime fauna is discussed in the context of current con...

Contribution to the knowledge of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) in the Palm House in Poznan´.

Contribution to the knowledge of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) in the Palm House in Poznań In soil samples from the Palm House (Palmiarnia) in Poznań city, six alien and six native mite species of the ptyctimous were found. Nearly half of them are semicosmopolitan but two of them are not native to Europe. One of the species, Phthiracarus phoxos Niedbała 2004, is endemic to Cuba. Supposedly the wellbeing of the exotic fauna depends on the presence of exotic soil and careful addition of native soil.

Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from the Ecuador rainforest

Twelve species of ptyctimous mite have been found in new localities in forest litter, in two National Parks of Ecuador: Bombuscaro and Cajanuma. The ptyctimous mite fauna has been shown to differ totally between the two parks. Two new species are described: Euphthiracarus bombuscaroensis sp. nov. and Austrophthiracarus cajanumaensis sp. nov. Three species are reported from Ecuador for the first time. The specimens of two species: Protophthiracarus quasiminisetosus Niedbała and Illig, 2006 and Notophthiracarus aculeatus Niedbała, 1988 found in Ecuador have some morphological characters different from their analogues in the type specimens.

Zoogeography of the ptyctimous mites (Acari: Oribatida) of Madagascar and other eastern Africa islands.

On the island of Madagascar and five neighbouring islands: Aldabra, the Comoros, Mauritius, Réunion and the Seychelles, the number of hitherto found Ptyctima species is 57, including 37 Phthiracaroidea (of which ten are new to science), 18 Euphthiracaroidea (one new to science) and two Mesoplophoroidea. Of those 57 species, 30 are endemic (53%), ten Ethiopian species (17%), 12 pantropical species (21%) three oriental (5%) and two semicosmopolitan (3%). Endemism of Phthiracaroidea (62%) is similar to Euphthiracaroidea (59%). Similarity between the ptyctimous fauna of Madagascar and the neighbouring islands is very small—only one or two species are common. Moreover, the fauna of Mauritius is completely different from that of Madagascar. The ptyctimous fauna of Madagascar and the near islands must have been shaped before separation of Madagascar from Africa, which is suggested by the presence of the phylogenetically oldest and the youngest genera of Phthiracaroidea and Euphthiracaroidea. On the other hand, a large number of species of late derived genera Notophthiracarus and Hoplophorella may indicate a relatively late colonization of the islands by Phthiracaroidea. Dispersion of Ptyctima onto Madagascar and the neighbouring islands took place from the east—the Oriental region or from the south— the Australian region.RésuméSur l’île Madagascar et cinq îles voisines: Aldabra, Comores, Maurice, Réunion et Seychelles, le nombre d’espèces de Ptyctima trouvées à ce jour est de 57. Il comprend 37 espèces de Phthiracaroidea (dont dix sont nouvelles pour la science), 18 espèces de Euphthriracaroidea (dont une nouvelle espèce pour la science), 12 espèces pantropicales (21%) trois espèces orientales (5%) et deux espèces semicosmopolites (3%). L’endémisme des Phthiracaroidea (62%) est comparable à celui des Euphthriracaroidea (59%). II y a très peu de similitude entre la faune des Ptyctima de Madagascar et celle des îles voisines, seules un ou deux espèces sont communes. Par ailleurs, la faune de Maurice est complètement différente de celle de Madagascar. La faune des Ptyctima de Madagascar et des îles voisines est probablement apparue avant la séparation de Madagascar du continent Africain, ce que suggère la présence des genres phylogénétiquement les plus vieux et les plus jeunes de Phthiracaroidea et d’Euphthiracaroidea. En outre, un grand nombre d’espèces des genres récemment apparus Notophthiracarus et Hoplophorella semble indiquer une colonisation relativement tardive des îles par les Phthiracaroidea. La dispersion des Ptyctima sur Madagascar et les îles voisines s’est faîte par l’est, la région Orientale, et par le sud, la région Australienne.

New distributional records and redescriptions of oriental ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of the Oriental Region

Abstract In 25 additional localities from Oriental Region 32 of the hitherto known species of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) were collected. The new localities permit a more precise determination of the geographical distribution ranges of eleven species, usually extending their ranges, and prompted change in the zoogeographical element of some species. Additional morphological descriptions for three species, Oribotritia corporaali (Oudemans, 1926), Acrotritia divida (Mahunka, 1991), Notophthiracarus lienhardi Mahunka, 1996 are given.

New and little known species of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Costa Rica

Two new species of the family Phthiracaridae, Austrophthiracarus amus sp. nov. and Arphthicarus clavatus sp. nov., are described and figured from forest soils in various parts of Costa Rica. A comparison of morphological similarities with the most closely related species is also presented. Two species, Mesoplophora (Mesoplophora) pusilla and Ar. inelegans, are redescribed and figured. The tritonymphs of the species M. (M.) pusilla are described for the first time. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:01FC7F45-33E0-4911-B473-0E4486B3D7AD

Additions to the Ecuadorian, Ethiopian and Nepalese ptyctimous mite fauna (Acari, Oribatida), with description of two new species and remarks on some known species

Annotated checklists of identified ptyctimous mite taxa from Ecuador (7 species, 6 genera, 4 families), Ethiopia (13 species, 6 genera, 4 families) and Nepal (11 species, 7 genera, 4 families) are provided. Acrotritia refracta and Phthiracarus pygmaeus are recorded for the first time in Ecuador; Indotritia krakatauensis, Acrotritia vestita, Arphthicarus inaequus and Plonaphacarus tanzicus are recorded for the first time in Ethiopia; Protoribotritia oligotricha, Acrotritia duplicata and Phthiracarus bryobius are recorded for the first time in Nepal. Two new species, Oribotritia multisetosa Niedbała sp. nov. and Plonaphacarus martensi Niedbała sp. nov., are described from Ecuador and Nepal, respectively. Morphological and/or taxonomical remarks for Ar. inaequus (Niedbała, 1984), Indotritia bellingeri Niedbała & Schatz, 1996, Plonaphacarus rybalovi Niedbała, 2011 and Pl. tanzicus (Mahunka, 1993) are presented. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DC0E4649-9D0F-4222-A197-6E818CDE6D1C

Three new species of the family Phthiracaridae (Acari, Oribatida) from Bolivia

Three new species of the family Phthiracaridae, Austrophthiracarus longisetosus sp. nov., Phthiracarus allocotos sp. nov., Protophthiracarus amboroensis sp. nov. from Bolivia are described and figured. A comparison of morphological similarities with the most closely related species is presented. Additional descriptions and taxonomical notes for three ptyctimous species: Acrotritia peruensis (Hammer, 1961), Acrotritia vestita (Berlese, 1913), and Steganacarus (Rhacaplacarus) sedecimus Niedbała, 2004 are added. A list of twenty six ptyctimous species from Bolivia is presented, ten of these species are new records for the fauna of Bolivia. A key to all species of ptyctimous mites of Bolivia is presented.

New species of the superfamily Euphthiracaroidea (Acari: Oribatida) from Madagascar and Tanzania

Five new species of the family Euphthiracaridae are described, identified and figured from the Afrotropical region: Oribotritia breviseta sp. nov. from Andasibe National Park of Madagascar; Acrotritia paraardua sp. nov. from Vohimana Experimental Reserve, Ambohitanely Special Reserve and Andasibe National Park of Madagascar; Acrotritia paradikra sp. nov. from Ranomafana National Park and Ankarafantsika National Park of Masagascar; Microtritia diaphoros sp. nov. from the Nguru Mountains of Tanzania; and Microtritia parahauseri sp. nov from the Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania. A comparison with the most closely related species of the genera Oribotritia, Acrotritia and Microtritia is also presented. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7965FE4C-0AF8-49C4-B894-75D4EFD049BB