S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 57. (Budapest, 1996)

ROVARTANI KÖZLEMÉNYEK LVII 1996 pp. 125-129 Oribatids from Switzerland II. (Acari: Oribatida) # (Acarologica Genavensia XC) S. Mahunka Oribatids from Switzerland II. (Acari: Oribatida) (Acarologica Genavensia XC) — Two new Oribatida species are described from the material of the Basle Natural History Museum (Switzerland): Xenillus baderi sp. n. and Carabodes wettsteini sp. n. INTRODUCTION Some years ago we decided to study monographycally the Oribatida fauna of Switzerland (Mahunka 1993). Of course, besides making extensive new collectings it is more than necessary to elaborate the so far accumulated data and together revise existing collections. On suggestion of Dr. B. Hauser, curator of the Arthropoda Collection of Geneva Museum, primarily I, with my colleague (L. Mahunka-Papp), wanted to study the well known Swiss collection of J. Schweizer, which was deposited in the Museum of Natural History of Basle. We thank the Director of the Museum of Natural History of Geneva, Prof. dr. Volker Mahnert, for two research grants for two visits (22 April-7 May, 1995 and 13 April-29 April, 1996) in Basle. We would also like to express our gratitude to Dr. C. Bader, the curator of the mitecollection of the Basle Natural History Museum, who helped us in many ways and made available to us the collection of Dr. Ernst Wettstein (see Pestalozzi 1962). Wettstein worked in the Museum as a volunteer collecting and studying the oribatid-mites of Switzerland. His collection contains approximately 3000 slides, with mounted specimens generally identified to species. The data of this material have never been published. In this material we have found several rare or little known species and even some species new to science. In the present paper I give the description of two new species belonging to the genera Xenillus and Carabodes. Unfortunately, the locality data for this material were available to us only from the labels on the slides, because never an itinerary or notebook of Wettstein has been deposited in the collection or the library of the Museum. Dr. C. Bader and Dr. A. Hänggi (curator of the Arachnida Collection of the Basle Natural History Museum) to resolve this problem, but until now without success. However, despite the lack of exact data, a great part of Wettstein's material is of so great interest taxonomically that its publication is justified as an important addition to our knowledge of the Oribatida fauna of Switzerland. This work was also sponsored by the Hungarian National Scientific Research Fund (OTKA: T 16729).