S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 64. (Budapest, 2003)

FOLIA ENTOMOLOGICA HUNGARICA ROVARTANI KÖZLEMÉNYEK Volume 64 2003 pp. 5-18. Data to the Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) fauna of Albania J. KONTSCHÁN Abstract: Nineteen Uropodina species were collected in Albania between the 20th and 27th October 2002. The list of species, their localities and descriptions of the four new species are given. With 22 figures. Key words: Uropodina, Albania, new species, fauna INTRODUCTION Unfortunately there is only a few data from the Uropodina fauna of the Mediterranean part of Europe. Only the fauna of Italy and Spain are well known (79 and 58 species). The other countries are hardly known, only 2-5 species were listed from the countries of the Balkan peninsula, but the Uropodina fauna of Albania is absolutely unknown (Wisniewski 1993). Fortunately zoological investigations were started in Albania at the beginning of 1990 by the researchers of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. MATERIAL AND METHODS Soil, litter, moss and nests of ants were collected at the 45 localities of Central and North Albania (Map 1 ) between the 20th and 27th of October 2002. All the material was collected by Z. P. Erőss, Z. Fehér, J. Kontschán and D. Murányi. Unfortunately Uropodina mites were found only at eleven localities. The mite and soil material were deposited in alcohol in the Pedozoological Collections of the Department of Zoology of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. The system and name of the species are according to Wisniewski & Hirschmann (1993).