Oppiidae Grandjean, 1951

Fischer, Barbara M. & Schatz, Heinrich, 2013, Biodiversity of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) along an altitudinal gradient in the Central Alps, Zootaxa 3626 (4), pp. 429-454 : 441-442

Oppiidae Grandjean, 1951

Berniniella bicarinata (Paoli, 1908)

Distribution: Palaearctic

Habitat: preferably in forest soils

Obergurgl area: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald)

Dissorhina ornata (Oudemans, 1900)

Distribution: Holarctic

Habitat: preferably in dry forest soils, also in lichens

Obergurgl area: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald); previous studies: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald)

Dissorhina signata (Schwalbe, 1989)

Distribution: Northern Italy—Prov. Bolzano, Trento, Sondrio; Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland—Grisons; Romania—Transylvania, Austria

Habitat: montane forest soils?, in moss on tree

Obergurgl area: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald)

Remark: This species is described from a spruce forest in Germany (Schwalbe 1989). In our study it was only detected in the Pinus cembra forest. Dissorhina signata was found in several places in Central Europe. This is the first record for Austria and the Central Alps.

Microppia minus (Paoli, 1908)

Distribution: almost cosmopolitan, including Subantarctic Islands Habitat: undifferentiated, euryoecious species

Obergurgl area: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald)

Oppiella (Moritzoppia) unicarinata (Paoli, 1908) Distribution: Holarctic

Habitat: forest soils, in moss

Obergurgl area: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald)

Oppiella (Rhinoppia) obsoleta (Paoli, 1908)

Distribution: Holarctic, New Zealand

Habitat: euryoecious species

Obergurgl area: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald); previous studies: 1960 m (hay meadow), pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald), 2100–2190 m (dwarf shrub community), 2230–2340 m (alpine meadows with lichen communities)

Oppiella (Rhinoppia) subpectinata (Oudemans, 1900)

Distribution: Holarctic, Ethiopian region ( Senegal)

Habitat: euryoecious species; preferably in soils with high content of organic substances Obergurgl area: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald); previous studies: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald)

Oppiella (Oppiella) falcata (Paoli, 1908)

Distribution: Europe, Caucasia, Central Asia

Habitat: (deciduous) forest soils

Obergurgl area: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald), Nardetum at 2300 m (Schönwieskopf), Caricetum at 2600 m (Hohe Mut); previous studies: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald)

Nomenclatural remark: Lauroppia falcata (Paoli, 1908) according to Subías (2012)

Oppiella (Oppiella) nova (Oudemans, 1902)

Distribution: almost cosmopolitan, including Subantarctic Islands

Habitat: euryoecious species

Obergurgl area: Caricetum at 2600 m (Hohe Mut), Androsacetum alpinae at 2900 m (Liebener Rippe); previous studies: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald)

Oppiella (Oppiella) obscura (Mahunka & Mahunka-Papp, 2000)

Distribution: Switzerland, Austria

Habitat: unknown

Obergurgl area: Androsacetum alpinae at 2900 m (Liebener Rippe)

Taxonomic remarks: This species has been described recently as Lauroppia obscura from alpine meadows in Valais and Grisons in Switzerland (Mahunka & Mahunka-Papp 2000). In the present investigation O. (Oppiella) obscura was recorded outside Switzerland for the first time. Hitherto this species was only found in alpine regions. A probable synonymity to Lauroppia doris (Perez-Inigo, 1978) as assumed by Subías (2012) and Lauroppia tenuipectinata Subias & Rodriguez, 1988 is not clarified (Weigmann 2006).

Oppiella (Oppiella) uliginosa (Willmann, 1919)

Distribution: Central Europe: Northern Italy—Prov. Bolzano; Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland

Habitat: preferably in forests; also in moss, arboricolous

Obergurgl area: pine forest at 2050 m (Zirbenwald)

Remark: It is very probable that O. (Oppiella) uliginosa was confused with the morphologically similar species O. (Oppiella) nova in the past.

Nomenclatural remark: Oppiella nova uliginosa (Willmann, 1919) according to Subías (2012)