Acta Zoologica 41. (1995)

1995 / 1. szám - BALOGH PÉTER: Some oribatid mites (Acari) from the Serra Do Ma and Serra Do Matiguéra (Brazil, Sao Paulo)

Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 41(1), pp. 1-9, 1995 SOME ORIBATID MITES (ACARI) FROM THE SERRA DO MA AND SERRA DO MATIGUÉRA (BRAZIL, SÄO PAULO) P. Balogh Department of Zoosystematics and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University H-1088 Budapest, Puskin utca 3, Hungary The description of four new species, list of the identifications and remarks on the distribu­tion of the so-called “Gondwanan” species and genera are given. Key words: Oribatids, Gondwana theory, taxonomy, new species INTRODUCTION RODOLPHO Rohr (Campinas, Säo Paulo State), engineer and entrepreneur of Hungarian descent called our attention in 1989 to the few remnant patches of apparently undisturbed rainforest between Säo Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, in a heavily populated area. This area used to be covered largely by continuous forest up to the last century, but most it has been felled. The remaining patches are either national parks, or areas under the supervision of state forestry. It was sug­gested to us that we carry out studies in this zoologically completely unexplored area. Since the flora of the area is richer than that of Amazonia, it is not surpris­ing that its fauna is likewise rich. Perhaps it is the last chance for scientists to study the soil fauna of the area. ROHR offered his fazenda near Pindamonhangaba to serve as a research base for our studies. The exploratory studies were carried out by J. BALOGH between 8 and 18 May, 1990. The oribatid fauna extracted from soil samples with the help of Berlese funnels was found to be so promising that in the same year we decided to embark upon systematic studies. The area in question belongs to the class of extraequatorial tropical rain­forests in the climate classification of WALTER and BRECKLE (1983). Although it is relatively distant from the equator, it is situated in the zone of seasonal rains, in the group Zonobiom II (ZB II), the clouds arising from the Atlantic Ocean pre­cipitate here and thus the coastal area is a perhumid subzonobiom (sZB И/e I). For simplicity’s sake, we will call it tropical rainforest. The vegetation profile of the area is illustrated by HUECK (1966). The daily variation in temperature, especially in the soil, is quite small in typical equatorial rainforests, and the mean annual temperature hardly changes. It is similar in the perhumid Subzonobiom of Zonobiom II. In the orobioms joining Actazooi hung. 41, 1995 Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest

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