A New Species and Three New Records of Poronotic Oribatid Mites Associated With Water Buffalo Dung in the Kizilirmak Delta in Türkiye

Abstract

Animal dung is an ephemeral, nutrient-rich resource that supports constantly changing, highly biodiverse invertebrate communities. The dung of large herbivores is especially attractive to invertebrates. Seven oribatid mite species in seven different families were collected from water buffalo dung from the Kizilirmak Delta on the Black Sea coast of Samsun Province in northern T & uuml;rkiye. One new species, Plakoribates cernekensis n. sp. (Tegoribatidae) is described and illustrated. Bipassalozetes (B.) intermedius (Mihel & ccaron;i & ccaron;, 1954) (Passalozetidae), Oribatella (Sacculoribatella) nasuorum Fujikawa, 2012 (Oribatellidae) and Humerobates rostrolamellatus Grandjean, 1936 (Humerobatidae) are new records for T & uuml;rkiye. Peloptulus montanus Hull, 1914 (Phenopelopidae), Oribatula (O.) interrupta (Willmann, 1939) (Oribatulidae) and Scheloribates (S.) pallidulus (Koch, 1841) (Scheloribatidae) were also collected. Further taxonomic investigation of the richly biodiverse Kizilirmak Delta wetlands would likely reveal many new invertebrate species.