Phauloppia rauschenensis ( Sellnick, 1908 )

Murvanidze, Maka, Cilbircioğlu, Cihan, Özdemir, Esengül & Inak, Emre, 2020, Checklist of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of the Central Black Sea basin of Turkey with new records for the country, Persian Journal of Acarology 9 (3), pp. 255-277 : 265-266

Phauloppia rauschenensis ( Sellnick, 1908) *

Material – New record for Turkey. Three specimens in Karadedeoğlu Village, Tekkeyaylası Forest Area, Taşköprü-Kastamonu, N 41° 22′ 23.26′′, E 34° 24′ 22.11′′, alt. = 1187 m, 17 July 2018, tree bark from P. nigra and P. sylvestris .

Global distribution – Palaearctic.

Ecology – Forest soils, frequent in canopy.

Remarks – Measurements: Body size: 400–430 × 195–215 µm. ro 45 µm, in 40 µm, le 45 µm, ss 25 µm, all ng setae except dp and lp 30–35 µm, dp and lp 40 µm.

Body size of Turkish individuals is at the upper range of the reported size, i.e. 310–390 µm ( Weigmann 2006) or larger. Notogastral sculpture (foveolae) is evident at the sides of the notogaster. Areae porosae are round and small. Sensilli with short stalk and rounded head. Notogastral setae about 30–40 µm in length versus reported 25 µm ( Weigmann 2006).

Species prefers canopy habitats ( Weigmann 2006). This habitat preference is proved by Turkish findings on the bark of the pine trees. Phauloppia rauschenensis was found abundantly on branches of Picea orientalis and in lower numbers on Fagus orientalis in mixed forests of Borjom- Kharagauli National Park in Georgia ( Murvanidze and Mumladze 2014). Presence of this species on beech bark was also reported by Wunderle et al. (1990). This shows that P. rauschenensis prefers canopy habitats in general, with no difference between coniferous or broad-leaved tree species.