New oribatid mite (Acari: Oribatida) records in the Antarctic Peninsula region

We report new oribatid records from the western Antarctic Peninsula region obtained during the XXIV and XXVI–XXVIII Ukrainian Antarctic expeditions. Five species (including 2 subspecies) representing five families of oribatid mites were recorded: Nanhermannia elegantissima, Hermanniella dolosa, Membranoppia loxolineata, Suctobelbella sinuata, Alaskozetes antarcticus subsp. antarcticus and A. a. subsp. intermedius. The single specimen records of N. elegantissima, H. dolosa and S. sinuata are the first for these species in the Antarctic region. Hermanniella dolosa, previously recorded only in the Palearctic is likely to represent an anthropogenic introduction or contaminant. The other two species have been recorded from Southern Hemisphere locations, but far from the maritime Antarctic and their status cannot be assessed with confidence. Membranoppia loxolineata and the two subspecies of A. antarcticus were previously recorded from the maritime Antarctic, and we provide new specific occurrence records of these taxa. Our data expand knowledge of the distribution and biogeography of oribatid mites in the maritime Antarctic. Further research is required to assess the status of the three new species records and if established, any potential to impact the native microarthropod community.

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