Two new species of the superfamily Phthiracaroidea (Acari, Oribatida) from the Seychelles and the USA with notes on other ptyctimous mites from diverse countries

Two new species of the family Phthiracaridae, Arphthicarus paratinctus sp. n. from the Seychelles, and Atropacarus (Atropacarus) paraclavigerus sp. n. from California, USA are described and figured. A comparison of morphological similarities with the most closely related species is presented. Additional descriptions, morphological remarks and taxonomical notes for seven ptyctimous species: Arphthicarus sculptilis (Niedbała, 1988), Austrophthiracarus diazae (Ojeda, 1985), Mesoplophora (Mesoplophora) parabacilla Niedbała, 2006, Notophthiracarus lienhardi Mahunka, 1996, N. stenotus Niedbała et Corpuz-Raros, 1998, Plonaphacarus semiaciculatus (Mahunka, 2008), and Steganacarus (Rhacaplacarus) brasiliensis (Pérez-Iñigo et Baggio, 1980) were added. In total, 105 species of ptyctimous oribatid mites were determined in material of 1910 specimens from 15 countries – Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Galapagos, Gough Island, Indonesia (Irian), Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Reunion, Seychelles, Tanzania and the USA. Fauna of ptyctimous mites of Bangladesh, Colombia and Gough Island was studied for the first time. New records of ptyctimous mites for Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Guinea (Indonesia, Irian), Reunion, Tanzania and the USA are also presented. A replacement name for the junior homonym Austrophthiracarus longisetosus Niedbała et Starý, 2015, A. longisetus nom. n. is proposed

Type of broadleaf forest matters most for ptyctimous mite communities (Acari, Oribatida) in Norway

We studied ptyctimous moss mites, which are characteristic of forest habitats, in Norwegian broadleaf forests considered as biodiversity hotspot areas in Fennoscandia. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of different factors (regional locality, annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, forest type, forest wetness and microhabitat) on the ptyctimous mites and on discovering their richness in broadleaf forests. Samples were collected from nine broadleaf forests in Western, Southern and Eastern Norway, in different climatic conditions, six forest types, three forest wetness states and eight microhabitats. Overall, 3341 ptyctimous mites were collected and their abundance differed significantly among the regions, forest types and microhabitats. Forest type turned out to be the most important factor, responsible for 24.5% of the total variation in the abundance of the ptyctimous mites. Other important factors were forest wetness and microhabitat. In total, 27 species, i.e., 87% of all ptyctimous mites known from before in Norway were found and the species richness was highest in the east and lowest in the west of the country. Atropacarus (Atropacarus) striculus was most common and most abundant; it made nearly 30% of all ptyctimous mites collected. On the other hand, a quarter of the species were represented by less than 10 specimens; most of these were new records for Norway. Among ten species discovered as new to Norway, four were also new to Fennoscandia. These findings confirm the unique character and high biological diversity of Norwegian broadleaf forests.publishedVersio

Songbird nests on the ground as islands of diversity of ptyctimous mites (Acari: Oribatida) in the primeval Białowieża Forest (Poland)

Due to specific microclimatic conditions and accumulation of organic matter, bird nests are microhabitats that are often inhabited by various invertebrates, including mites (Acari). We tested whether nests of the ground-nesting passerine Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Bechstein) (Passeriformes: Phylloscopidae) [wood warbler] were associated with an increased local diversity of ptyctimous mites (Acari: Oribatida) on the forest floor in the Białowieża National Park, East Poland. In 2019–2020, we analysed 150 warbler nests shortly after they had been vacated by the birds, and additionally we sampled mites in leaf litter at 1 and 6 m distances from 21 of the collected nests. We found on average more mite species in nests sampled in 2020 than in nests sampled in 2019. Although the species composition largely overlapped between bird nests and the litter, bird nests contained a greater average number of mite species than litter samples, including species found only – Microtritia minima (Berlese) and Phthiracarus crenophilus Willmann – or mostly – Euphthiracarus cribrarius (Berlese) and Phthiracarus globosus (C.L. Koch) – in bird nests. The results suggest that the presence of bird nests may increase the local diversity of the invertebrate species assemblage

Supplement to the knowledge of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Palaearctic Region

Niedbała, Wojciech (2015): Supplement to the knowledge of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Palaearctic Region. Zootaxa 4057 (3): 301-339, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4057.3.

Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of Tanzania

Niedbała, Wojciech (2017): Ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) of Tanzania. Acarologia 57 (4): 957-1072, DOI: 10.24349/acarologia/20174217, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.24349/acarologia/2017421

Systematic, synonymic and biogeographical list of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) in the world (1799–2022)

Niedbała, Wojciech, Liu, Dong (2023): Systematic, synonymic and biogeographical list of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) in the world (1799–2022). Zootaxa 5265 (1): 1-442, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5265.1.1, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5265.1.

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

Niedbała, Wojciech, Starý, Josef (2014): New and little known species of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Cameroon. Zootaxa 3889 (1): 31-57, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3889.1.