S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 62. (Budapest, 2001)

FOLIA ENTOMOLOGICA HUNGARICA ROVARTANI KÖZLEMÉNYEK LXII 2001 pp. 11-22 Arboricolous oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) from Kenya S. Mahunka Arboricolous oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) from Kenya — A study on arboricolous oribatid mites collected by beating in a secondary forest with bushes, near to the seashore, in Kenya. Three new species (Zygoribatula galula, Benoibates rugosus and Oripoda sacculifera spp. n.) are described and some additional taxonomical, morphological and distributional data also to two other species (Passalozetes bidactylus Coggi, 1900 and Uracrobates africanus Mahunka, 1988). With 24 figures. Key words: Acari, Oribatida, arboricolous species, special collecting method, Kenya. INTRODUCTION The study of various organisms including the oribatids living on trees, or on certain parts of the tree or in humus that accumulated at the stock of epiphyta and other layerforming plants (mosses, lichens) primarily in the tropical rain-forests, but also in the Palaearctic and other parts of the world (e.g. Nadkarni & Longino 1990, Basset 1991, Wunderle 1992, Behan-Pelletier & Paoletti 1993, Behan-Pelletier et al. 1993, Mahunka & Palacios-Vargas 1995, Walter 1995, Walter & Behan-Pelletier 1999) has been accelerated in the past decades. The investigation of this fauna has uncovered numerous methodological and taxonomical novelties, so further significant results are to be expected. My collaborator-wife Luise Mahunka-Papp and I had the opportunity by enjoying the help of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian Natural History Museum to spend a brief collecting trip in Kenya in March 2001. While in the field we particularly concentrated on the fauna of the canopy level which is generally secured by extraction method or chemical fogging. Instead we applied the well-known collecting method of beating long since in use for collecting insects ands spiders. As far as we are aware beating has not been used for collecting mites. Our method was the following: directly after beating the debris that have accumulated on the bottom of the umbrella immediately we began using the aspirator and the material was transferred to alcohol, followed by salting. The used umbrella had a smooth silky fabric with a diameter of 1 metre, being strongly rounded on the bottom, while the This study was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA38319)