Dr. Éva Murai szerk.: Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica 4. 1987 (Budapest, 1987)
Mahunka, S.: Studies on the Oribatid fauna of Kenya (Acari: Oribatida) I.
MISCELLANEA ZOOLOGICA HUNGARICA Tomus 4. 1987 p. 71-91 Studies on the Oribatid fauna of Kenya (Aeari: Oribatida) I. By S. MA HUNK A (Received Way 6, 1986) ABSTRACT. Oribatid species sampled from the soils of Kenya have been studied. From a total of 10 identified species 9 are described as new to science. New genera are also erected. Three known species are redescribed and figured. One homonym ( Austracarus) and one synonym (Sphaerochochthonius) are established. KFY WORDS. Acari, Oribatida, taxonomy, Africa. The northernmost limit of the Ethiopian Region appears to be questionable on t.he basis of my recent soil zoological investigations (MAHUNKA, 1982). At present I even consider the territory of Ethiopia proper to be a transitional zone between the Palaearctic and the Ethiopian Regions, so much so that a strong effect of the former region is more than strongly evident (MAHUNKA, 1984). This is why a better knowledge of the fauna south of Ethiopia is more than desirable. Among these regions the country of Kenya seemed to me highly important. Let alone my publication of this country based on the materials collected by Dr. V. AELLPJN and Dr. P. STRINATI (MAHUNKA, 19 77), almost nothing is known of its oribatid fauna. It is NIEDBA.LA's (1982) paper which contains some references concerning Kenya. In order to better know the fauna prevailing there, by the kind help of Dr. B. HAU SER (Museum D'Histoire Naturelle, Geneva), my wife and I had the opportunity to fly to Kenya in late summer of 1985 (MAHUNKA and MAHUNKA-PAPP, 1986), where we collected and extracted many soil samples in various parts of the country. In spite of the severe drought at that time, the collected material appears to be highly diverse and very rich. Since the publication capacities of various journals are rather limited, I am.forced to publish my results in parts. In this paper I propose to discuss 10 species, of which 9 are new to science. Of the known species, herewith I present the supplementary description, redescription and figures of one species. The type material is deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum (HNHM), in the Museum D'Histoire Naturelle, Geneva (MHNG) and in the Natural History Museum, Nairobi (NHMN). TAXONOMICAL AND ZOOGEOGRAPHICAL COMMENTS Several taxa deserve special mention, mostly from systematic or Zoogeographie points of view. Thus, for example, Papillocepheus Balogh et Mahunka, 1966, so far known from South Africa, has its second species from Kenya, also the genus Hauseroplophora Mahunka, 1977 has its second representative that is quite close to the type-species from Kenya. In the following I wish to make some corrections concerning the fauna of the Ethiopian Region. 1. Ululohmannia nom. nov. for Austracarus Mahunka, 1984 nec Austracarus P. et J. Balogh, 1983. The homonymy occurred through an overlapping period of time concerning the preparation of one, and the publication of the other paper.
