Additions to the oribatid mite (Acari, Oribatida) fauna of Nepal, with description of two new species

ABSTRACT

The present study is based on oribatid mite material collected from litter and upper soil stratum of Rhododendron–Lithocarpus mountain forest at a single locality from eastern Nepal. A list of 39 species, belonging to 31 genera and 15 families, is presented; of these, one genus and 11 species are reported for the first time from Nepalese fauna. Two new species – Metrioppia petarberoni sp. nov. (Peloppiidae) and Galumna (Galumna) gerdalbertii sp. nov. (Galumnidae) – are described.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B2454A87-A17C-41EB-BB7B-184F4B6022AB

KEYWORDS:

• Fauna
• new record
• taxonomy
• Metrioppia
• Galumna
• morphology
• South Asia

Acknowledgments

We thank W. Schawaller and B. Martens for helpful companionship during the Nepalese expeditions, as well as two anonymous reviewers for valuable comments and the Feldbausch Foundation and the Wagner Foundation at Fachbereich Biologie of Mainz University for many annual grants over the years to carry out field work in Asia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Results of the Himalaya Expeditions of J. Martens from 1969–2004, No. 295. Jochen Martens was sponsored by DAAD and DFG.

2. Distribution mostly from Subías (2022, online version 2023).