Water mite diversity from southwestern Türkiye through the lens of the DNA barcodes, with the description of one new species (Acari, Hydrachnidia) Author Pešić, Vladimir 0000-0002-9724-345X Department of Biology, University of Montenegro, Džordža Vašingtona b. b., 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro Author Zawal, Andrzej 0000-0002-5838-6060 Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Center of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71 – 415 Szczecin, Poland Author Gülle, Pınar Faculty of Science and Arts, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkiye Author Gülle, İskender Faculty of Science and Arts, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkiye Author Jovanović, Milica 0000-0003-1836-1210 Department of Biology, University of Montenegro, Džordža Vašingtona b. b., 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro Author Bańkowska, Aleksandra 0000-0003-1037-0550 Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Center of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71 – 415 Szczecin, Poland Author Musielak, Stanisław 0000-0002-4770-1432 Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Center of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71 – 415 Szczecin, Poland Author Smit, Harry 0000-0002-0376-6808 Institute of Biology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71 - 415 Szczecin, Poland & Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P. O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands text ZooKeys 2025 2025-03-18 1232 205 236 journal article 308716 10.3897/zookeys.1232.142699 5260ee3d-48b0-460d-8b4d-ee6700ac7265 B7DFF2E2-C37B-4283-969B-A7648C555734 Atractides ( Atractides ) robustus (Sokolow, 1940) Material examined. Isparta • TR 17-2024 Çukurköy , stream , 37.651257°N , 30.81791°E , 25 Apr. 2024 , leg. 1 ♂ (sequenced) • TR 18-2024 , Yazılıkanyon Tabiat Parkı , stream from cave (moss) , 37.46882°N , 30.919449°E , 25 Apr. 2024 , leg. Pešić , Zawal , Gülle & Gülle , 1 deutonymph (sequenced) . Remarks. The sequenced specimens from southwestern Türkiye were clustered within two BINs, i. e. BOLD: AGH 5609 which include one specimen from this study and BOLD: AEK 3669 , which in addition to a single deutonymph from our study includes one specimen of A. robustus from eastern Türkiye ( Bingöl province ). The p - distance between these two BINs was estimated at 2.89 %. For a long time, A. robustus , a species originally described from the Caucasus (the affluents of the Kuban River) has been considered as a common species in Europe ( Gerecke 2003 ). However, recent genetic data revealed that this species consists of several distinct lineages ( Pešić et al. 2023 b ). The results of the applied ASAP procedure revealed that both BINs from southwestern Türkiye belong to a single MOTU (hypothetical species), which grouped also sequences of A. robustus like mites from eastern Türkiye and northern Iran . On the other hand, the second MOTU, which includes European populations of robustus - like mites belonging to BOLD: ADZ 9348 and BOLD: AFF 2463 , possible represent a cryptic species new to science. Distribution. Europe, Türkiye , Caucasus, Iran .