Oribatid Mites

A Catalogue of Australian Genera and Species

MJ Colloff, RB Halliday

• Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
• Year: 1998
• Print ISBN: 9780643063716
• eBook ISBN: 9780643105904
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Zoology
• Index: Biological Sciences

Oribatid mites are ancient, minute arthropods that live in soil, plant litter, mosses and lichens, and on trees and shrubs. Prior to the production of this catalogue, Australian Oribatid mites had been poorly documented. This catalogue summarises our knowledge of the fauna of Australian Oribatid mites, including many new records of species and genera. It forms a fundamental resource for anyone interested in these important organisms and their role in soil ecology and as environmental indicators.

BRACHYPYLINA HULL, 1918

HERMANNIELLOIDEA Grandjean, 1934

HERMANNIELLIDAE GRANDJEAN, 1934

Hermanniellidae Grandjean, 1934

Type-genus: Hermannietta Berlese, 1908, Redia, 5: 11. (cf. Grandjean, 1934, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 59: 28.)

Genus Hermannohates Hammer, 1961

Hermannobates Hammer, 1961

Type-species: Hermannohates monstruosus Hammer, 1961, Biol. Skr., 13(1): 80.

Hermannobates spp.

Cited as: Hermannobates 1 n.sp.: Lee, 1986, Taxonomy and Distribution of Sarcoptiform Mites in South Australian Soils, p. 78.

Hermannietta Berlese: Hunt, 1994, Mem. Qld. Mus., 36(1): 111.

Hermannobates sp.: Osler, 1997, Factors Contributing to the Structure of Soil Mite Communities.

Hermannobates sp.: Hunt et al. (1998) Oribatid Mites.

Depository: South Australian Museum, Adelaide. (Lee, 1986); Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney (Osler, 1997); Australian Museum, Sydney (Hunt, 1994; Hunt et al., 1998).

Australian records: “common in eastern Australian samples” (Hunt, 1994).

SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 44 adults, coastal shrubland, Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park, coll. D.C. Lee, 3.vii.1974 (Lee, 1986). NEW SOUTH WALES: mineral soil layer, Landsdowne State Forest, N. of Taree (31°45’S 152°37’E) (Osler, 1997); litter, Allyn River area, via Barrington, coll. G.S. Hunt (Hunt et al., 1998).

Figure 7. Paraphysobates sp. (Oribatida: Brachypylina) Photograph courtesy of Glenn Hunt and Sue Lindsay, Australian Museum

PLASMOBATIDAE GRANDJEAN, 1961

Plasmobatidae Grandjean, 1961

Type-genus: Plasmobates Grandjean, 1929 (cf. Grandjean, 1961, Acarologia, 3(1): 96.)

Genus Solenozetes Grandjean, 1932

Solenozetes Grandjean, 1932

Type-species: Plasmobates cribratus Grandjean, 1929 (cf. Grandjean, 1932, Bull. Mus. nat. Hist. Natur. 2e sèrie, 3(7): 653.)

Solenozetes gallonae Hunt, 1994

Comb./syn.: Solenozetes gallonae Hunt, 1994, Mem. Queensland Mus., 35(1): 131, figs 1–3.

Type depository: Queensland Museum, Brisbane (holotype, 2 paratypes); Australian Museum, Sydney (1 paratype); Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra (1 paratype).

Type locality: Blackbutt Range, Queensland.

Description: dorsal, lateral, ventral and anterior aspects, details of prodorsum, lateral tube of opisthosmal gland, rostrum, palp, infracapitulum and chelicera (SEMs); notogaster posterior aspect, detail of tibia and tarsus I (Hunt, 1994).

Australian records: QUEENSLAND: holotype and 4 paratypes [Queensland Museum Berlese extraction sample no. 522], leaf litter, rainforest, 5 km E. of Benarkin, Blackbutt Range, coll. J. Gallon, 30.iii.1983. Undesignated material: 2 adults [Queensland Museum S20116, SEM stub no. 142], 5 adults [Queensland Museum S20117, SEM stub no. 117], notogaster without scalps [Queensland Museum SEM stub no. 129], same data as type series (Hunt, 1994).

Distribution: Australia (Hunt, 1994).

LIODOIDEA Grandjean, 1954

LIODIDAE GRANDJEAN, 1954

Liodidae Grandjean, 1954

Type-genus: Liodes von Heyden, 1826 (cf. Grandjean, 1954, Bull. Soc. Zool. Fr., 78: 433.)

Genus Liodes von Heyden, 1826

Liodes von Heyden, 1826

Type-species: Notaspis theleproctus Hermann, 1804 (cf. von Heyden, 1826, Isis (Oken), 18: 611.)

Neoliodes Berlese 1888

Type-species: Notaspis theleproctus Hermann, 1804 (cf. Berlese, 1888, Boll. Soc. ent. ital, 20: 217; Michael, 1898, Das Tierreich, 3: 65.)

Udetaliodes Jacot, 1929

Type-species: Oribata concentrata Say, 1821 (cf. Jacot, 1929, Trans. Am. microsc. Soc, 48: 31; Radford, 1950, Systematic Checklist of Mite Genera and Type Species, p. 182.)

Remarks: the name Liodes von Heyden, 1826 is a junior homonym of Leiodes Latreille, 1796 and was placed on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Generic Names in Zoology (cf. Bull. Zool. Nomen., 1950, 4: 421). Neoliodes Berlese, originally proposed as a replacement, is the next available name. Despite this, the name Liodes is still widely used in oribatology (cf. e.g. Marshall et al., 1987, p. 122), almost to the point of exclusion of Neoliodes and, in fact, the current International Code of Zoological Nomenclature would not reject Liodes. Common useage is followed herein.

Liodes spp.

Cited as: Liodes sp.: Hunt, 1994, Mem. Queensland Mus., 36(1): 113.

Neoliodes 1 n.sp.: Lee, 1986, Taxonomy and Distribution of Sarcoptiform Mites in South Australian Soils, p. 82.

Liodes sp.: Hunt et al. (1998) Oribatid Mites.

Depository: South Australian Museum, Adelaide (Lee, 1986); Australian Museum, Sydney (Hunt, 1994; Hunt et al., 1998).

Australian records: QUEENSLAND: Brisbane area (Hunt, 1994); litter, Gold Creek, Brookfield (Hunt et al., 1998). SOUTH AUSTRALIA: moss and litter under Eucalyptus obliqua, sclerophyll forest, Mt. Lofty, coll. D.C. Lee, 9.V.1974 (Lee, 1986).

Genus Teleiolodes Grandjean, 1934

Teleiolodes Grandjean, 1934

Type-species: Teleioliodes madininensis Grandjean, 1934, Ann. Soc. Ent. France, 103: 142.

Teleiolodes sp.

Cited as: Teleilodes sp.: Hunt et al. (1998) Oribatid Mites.

Depository: Australian Museum.

Australian records: QUEENSLAND: pyrethrum knock-down from tree trunks, Robson Creek, Atherton, coll. R. Kitching (Hunt et al., 1998).

PIATEREMAEOIDEA Trägårdh, 1931 [= GYMNODAMAEOIDEA Grandjean, 1954]

Remarks: The synonymy of Gymnodamaeoidea with Plateremaeoidea is provided by Marshall et al. (1987, p. 124). However, Paschoal (1989), elevated Plateremaeidae to superfamily level and regards the two superfamilies as valid.

HAMMERIELLIDAE PASCHOAL, 1989

Hammeriellidae Paschoal, 1989

Type-genus: Hammeriella Paschoal, 1989, Rev. Bras. Zool., 6(1): 18.

Remarks: cf. Hunt, 1996 (Rec. Aust. Mus., 48: 342) for discussion regarding the likelihood of Hammeriellidae being a junior synonym of Pheroliodidae.

Genus Darthvaderum Hunt, 1996

Darthvaderum Hunt, 1996

Type-species: Darthvaderum greensladeae Hunt, 1996

Darthvaderum greensladeae Hunt, 1996

Comb./syn.: Darthvaderum greensladeae Hunt, 1996, Rec. Aust. Mu...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Palaeosomata Grandjean, 1969
• Enarthronota Grandjean, 1947
• Parhyposomata J. Balogh and Mahunka, 1979
• Mixonomata Grandjean, 1969
• Desmonomata Woolley, 1973 [= Holosomatina J. Balogh and Mahunka, 1979]64
• Brachypylina Hull, 1918
• References
• Index