Mesoplophora pantotrema Berlese

van der Hammen, L., 1959, Berlese's Primitive Oribatid Mites, Zoologische Verhandelingen 40, pp. 1-93 : 33

Mesoplophora pantotrema Berlese , 1913

Mesoplophora pantotrema Berlese , 1913, p. 101, pl. 8 figs. 94, 94a 1).

Mesoplophora discreta Berlese , 1913, p. 101, pl. 8 figs. 95, 95a 1).

Meshoplophora discreta , Meshoplophora pantotrema , Lombardini, 1936, p. 44.

Grandjean (1933a, p. 308) pointed out that M. pantotrema is the nymph of M. discreta . The original figure of pantotrema is indeed drawn after a juvenile, while the considerable range of the measurements, as mentioned in the description, points to the presence of several stages among the type-material. M. discreta represents the adult stage. Both pantotrema and discreta originate from the same locality ("Samarang, Giava"), so that it is obvious that adults and nymphs belong to the same species. Because pantotrema is the first-mentioned of the two, discreta must be considered a synonym of pantotrema .

In the Berlese Collection 5 slides of " M. pantotrema " are present, viz. the nos. 137/24 (type), 25, 26, 27, 28; with the exception of no. 137/27 (locality: "Giava", without further details), all specimens bear the label "Samarang, Giava". Slide no. 137/26 contains a deutonymph.

" M. discreta " is represented by 4 slides, viz. the nos. 137/20, 21, 22, 23; on the labels the locality is indicated as "Samarang, Giava" (nos. 137/20, 23), or simply as "Giava" (137/21, 22). The type-slide (no. 137/23) is the single preparation that in its present State is suited for Observation; it contains indeed an adult specimen.

1) In the explanation of pl. 8 Berlese erroneously refers to figs. 93a and 94a, instead of 94a and 95a respectively.