New species of Neanuridae (Collembola) living on the endemic tree Zelkova abelicea in Crete.

Six new species from Crete belonging to the family Neanuridae are described and illustrated in detail. Friesea schulzi sp. nov.

Mites inhabiting nests of wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes), in the Wielkopolska National Park in western Poland.

The wood warbler, Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Aves: Passeriformes), is a well-known model organism for studying bird migration, breeding habitat selection and nest predation. The nest acarofauna of this bird species has not been extensively studied so far. To provide a comprehensive report on mite species inhabiting wood warbler nests and to assess infestation parameters (prevalence, intensity, and abundance) for mite species and orders, we collected 45 nests of this bird species in the Wielkopolska National Park in western Poland.

A redescription of Hypogastrura gisini Strenzke, 1954 (Collembola: Hypogastruridae) and description of a new related species from Crete (Greece).

Hypogastrura gisini Strenzke, 1954 is redescribed based on paratypes and other available material. A description of similar new species from CreteH. cretensis sp.

Mites (Oribatida and Mesostigmata) and vegetation as complementary bioindicators in peatlands.

Vegetation is widely used in the assessment of the quality of peatlands, while the invertebrate fauna of peatlands is relatively poorly studied. We compared the bioindicator values of vegetation with two arthropod groups widespread in peatlands, saprophagous Oribatida (Acariformes) and predatory Mesostigmata (Parasitiformes) mites. Samples were collected from ecotones at the edges of peatland ponds in Poland, including four in near-natural condition (i.

Soil fauna drives vertical redistribution of soil organic carbon in a long-term irrigated dry pine forest.

Summer droughts strongly affect soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling, but net effects on SOC storage are unclear as drought affects both C inputs and outputs from soils. Here, we explored the overlooked role of soil fauna on SOC storage in forests, hypothesizing that soil faunal activity is particularly drought-sensitive, thereby reducing litter incorporation into the mineral soil and, eventually, long-term SOC storage. In a drought-prone pine forest (Switzerland), we performed a large-scale irrigation experiment for 17 years and assessed its impact on vertical SOC distribution and composition.

Mite communities (Acari: Mesostigmata, Oribatida) in the red belt conk, Fomitopsis pinicola (Polyporales), in Polish forests.

The fruiting bodies of bracket fungi are a specific microhabitat colonized by various invertebrates of which mites (Acari) are rarely studied, and if they are, the study is usually faunistic. The aim of the research was to determine whether the diversification of mite assemblages (Mesostigmata, Oribatida) inhabiting the fruiting bodies of Fomitopsis pinicola (Sw.) P.

The role of bracket fungi in creating alpha diversity of invertebrates in the Białowieża National Park, Poland.

Bracket fungi are seen mainly as the cause of economic losses in forestry, and their role as creators of biodiversity is relatively poorly understood. The aim of the study was defining the manner in which the degree of decay (DD) of the fruiting bodies determines the character of the invertebrate assemblages colonising them. The effect of this group of fungi on the modification of biodiversity of invertebrates (Aranae, Opiliones, Pseudoscorpionida, two groups of mites-Mesostigmata and Oribatida, and Collembola and Insecta) was investigated by analyzing 100 fruiting bodies of 10 species of bracket fungi divided into four DD classes.

Changing Microarthropod Communities in Front of a Receding Glacier in the High Arctic.

This study was carried out at Ny-Ålesund on Spitsbergen in Svalbard (High Arctic). Eight study sites were established along a transect from the fjord to the snout of the glacier. The sites differed from each other by the type of vegetation cover and soil characteristics.

Distribution and habitat preferences of the stag beetle Lucanus cervus (L.) in forested areas of Poland.

The incorporation of Lucanus cervus (L.) in Annex 2 of the EU Habitats Directive imposed on EU member countries the obligation to prepare protection plans and undertake adequate measures aimed at the preservation of this species. A necessary precondition for their implementation was connected with the identification of current localities of L.

Description of a new species of Cosmolaelaps Berlese and the male of C. brevipedestra (Karg) from Iran, with notes on some other species of Cosmolaelaps Berlese (Acari: Laelapidae).

We describe a new species of mite, Cosmolaelaps malmiriensis sp. nov., based on morphological characters of the adult female.

Aboveground vertebrate and invertebrate herbivore impact on net N mineralization in subalpine grasslands.

Aboveground herbivores have strong effects on grassland nitrogen (N) cycling. They can accelerate or slow down soil net N mineralization depending on ecosystem productivity and grazing intensity. Yet, most studies only consider either ungulates or invertebrate herbivores, but not the combined effect of several functionally different vertebrate and invertebrate herbivore species or guilds.

Community structure variability of Uropodina mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) in nests of the common mole, Talpa europaea, in Central Europe.

Underground nests of Talpa europaea, known as the common mole, are very specific microhabitats, which are also quite often inhabited by various groups of arthropods. Mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) are only one of them. One could expect that mole nests that are closely located are inhabited by communities of arthropods with similar species composition and structure.

A new genus and species of Laelapidae from Iran with notes on Gymnolaelaps Berlese and Laelaspisella Marais & Loots (Acari, Mesostigmata).

Pogonolaelaps gen. n. a new genus of Laelapidae Berlese is erected and described based on Pogonolaelaps canestrinii (Berlese), comb.

Description of a new species of Julolaelaps (Acari, Mesostigmata, Laelapidae) from Iran.

Julolaelaps hallidayi sp. n., was collected from soil of river verge in Brujen, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, Iran.

Peruvian oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) from the German Biological Expedition, with description of a new species of the genus Pergalumna.

The present study is based on oribatid mite material (Acari, Oribatida) collected during the German Expedition in 2011 in Peru. An annotated checklist of identified oribatid mites, including 16 species from 14 genera and 8 families, is provided. Thirteen species and two genera (Notohermannia, Zetomimus) are recorded for the first time in Peru; the genus Notohermannia and species Notohermanniaobtusa are recorded for the first time in the Neotropical region.

Indirect short- and long-term effects of aboveground invertebrate and vertebrate herbivores on soil microarthropod communities.

Recognition is growing that besides ungulates, small vertebrate and invertebrate herbivores are important drivers of grassland functioning. Even though soil microarthropods play key roles in several soil processes, effects of herbivores-especially those of smaller body size-on their communities are not well understood. Therefore, we progressively excluded large, medium and small vertebrate and invertebrate herbivores for three growing seasons using size-selective fences in two vegetation types in subalpine grasslands; short-grass and tall-grass vegetation generated by high and low historical levels of ungulate grazing.

Differences in speciation progress in feather mites (Analgoidea) inhabiting the same host: the case of Zachvatkinia and Alloptes living on arctic and long-tailed skuas.

Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed that some apparently oligoxenous feather mite species are in fact monoxenous cryptic species with little morphological differentiation. In this study we analyzed two species, Zachvatkinia isolata (Avenzoariidae) and Alloptes (Sternalloptes) stercorarii (Alloptidae) which prefer different parts of the plumage of two sister species of birds: arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) and long-tailed skua (S. longicaudus) breeding on tundra in the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

Mites (Acari, Mesostigmata) in boreal Scots pine forest floors: effect of distance to stumps.

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is a basic component of forest ecosystems and it plays a crucial role in species-poor boreal forests. Generally, previous studies have focused on differences between the forest floor and decaying logs of various tree species. The impact of distance to CWD has been investigated mainly for forest-floor snails and some groups of macrofauna, but not yet for mesostigmatid mites communities.

A new species of predaceous mite of the genus Neoseiulus Hughes (Acari, Phytoseiidae), with redescriptions of N. magnanalis (Thor) and N. ellesmerei (Chant & Hansell), from Svalbard, High Arctic.

A new species of phytoseiid mite of the genus Neoseiulus (Acari, Phytoseiidae) found in Svalbard is described and illustrated. Redescriptions, drawings, measurements, and diagnosis of two related species, N. magnanalis (Thor) and N.

A new species of the genus Gaeolaelaps (Acari, Mesostigmata, Laelapidae) from Iran.

The Genus Gaeolaelaps Evans & Till, 1966 is currently one of the largest genera of the family Laelapidae Berlese. The known representatives of this genus are active predators of small invertebrates such as other mites, insect eggs and nematodes. Gaeolaelaps iranicus Kavianpour & Nemati sp.

A new species and new record of Reticulolaelaps Costa (Acari: Laelapidae) from Iran.

We describe a new species of mite from Iran--Reticulolaelaps hallidayi Joharchi, Nemati & Babaeian sp. nov. (Acari: Laelapidae).

The bird ectoparasite Dermanyssus hirundinis (Acari, Mesostigmata) in the High Arctic; a new parasitic mite to Spitsbergen, Svalbard.

Ectoparasites are common on birds and in their nests. Amongst these parasites are diverse gamasid mite species that can lead to irritation, disease transmission and blood loss. Few studies of the ectoparasites of birds breeding in the High Arctic exist.

Mesostigmatid mites in four classes of wood decay.

We studied the mesostigmatid mite community in four classes of wood decay in mixed (pine-oak) forest stands in the Wielkopolska region, Cental-West Poland. A total of 80 samples, including bark, phloem and rotten wood of coniferous and deciduous species logs, were taken in August 2006 and 2007. Decay classes were a qualitative, categorical index based on visual assessment of decomposition in coarse woody debris.