Systematic research on Phenopelopidae and Punctoribatidae species in acarlar floodplain forest

Body and limb hairs are, in principle, constructed in generally the same way as in arthropods, with the exception of various sensory setae. They consist of chitin with proportions of the refractive substance actinopylene and are formed by special epidermal cells. Their shapes and surface designs can be very different and are important for determining genus and species. Adult notogaster may have a pair of lateral wing-like appendages called pteromorphs. An adult has a genital and an anal plate on the ventral aspect, and sometimes an agenital and an adanal plate. In some families, the aggenital and adanal plates form a single plate called the ventral plate. The setae located on these plates are called genital, anal, aggenital and adanal setae. The notogaster of adult Oribatida is strongly chitinized, which is often interpreted as a protective function against enemies. In some, Notogaster is divided by transverse grooves that are not strictly segmentally arranged. Partial shields can be more or less overlapping, preserving mobility without reducing protective function. Like all arthropods, the oribatid integument has a chitin-structured cuticle over a single-layered epidermis that is usually very strong in the adult stage. The cuticle consists of an epicuticle as well as a multilayered procuticle of chitin and other components. The procuticle has numerous pore cenals that usually end below the epicuticle; They may contain wax. The cuticle can also be hardened with carbonates, oxalates and metal salts. While there are many studies on Oribatids in the world, there are not enough studies in Türkiye. Oribatida, which have very important roles, should be more involved in scientific studies in Türkiye. This is the biggest aim of our work. In this study, soil acari found in the Acarlar floodplain forest, which is the largest floodplain in were investigated faunistically for the first time. It is aimed to contribute to the mite fauna of Turkey by determining the species belonging to the families Punctoribatidae and Phenopelopidae (Acari; Oribatida). The samples are collected in may 2022 Acarlar floodplain forest. Sakarya is a province located in the eastern part of the Marmara region and possesses a rich diversity of living organisms. Sakarya is influenced by the climatic conditions prevailing in the Black Sea and Marmara regions. It is very rich in terms of natural vegetation. The mountains, which are extensions of the northern Anatolian coastal mountains, are covered with dense forests. Besides meadows and mountain pastures, various maquis areas with predominant species such as blackberry, blueberry, and kermes oak are observed in the foothills of the mountains and plateaus. In Sakarya, both large and small-scale animal husbandry are practiced. The district where our research area is located is Karasu. Karasu District marks the end of the Western Black Sea region and the beginning of the Marmara region. The Acarlar Longoz Forest is a typical coastal barrier lake in terms of its formation. It is bordered by dunes, reaching heights of 20–25 meters, between it and the Black Sea, while it is surrounded to the south by low hills averaging about 100 meters in height. It is located 6 km west of the Sakarya River and its excess waters flow into the Sakarya River through the Okçu Stream. It is situated 2 km inland from the sea. The rare subaerial forest ecosystem in Türkiye was designated as a 1st-degree Natural Site Area under protection by the decision of the Bursa Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board in 1998. Additionally, the area was considered as a dissemination area for the Biological Diversity and Natural Resource Conservation project conducted in the İğne Ada Longoz area. An area of 1576 hectares was declared as a 'Wildlife Conservation Area' by the General Directorate in 1976 with the aim of protecting partridges and waterfowl. At the beginning of 2004, the boundaries of the area were re-evaluated and reorganized, and it was re-registered as a 'Wildlife Development Area' with adjusted boundaries of 2517 hectares.the forest area. Species such as hornbeam, alder, beech, and black alder are common. The Lake Bulb and Water Violet are endemic species found only in the Acarlar Lake in our country. Fish species like carp, rudd, and carp bream are present. Additionally, the fauna is enriched by animals such as rabbits, foxes, wild boars, kestrels, falcons, and squirrels. It is especially a breeding and wintering area for migratory birds. According to bird sighting studies, it has been determined that 235 different bird species live in the Acarlar Lake Wildlife Conservation Area. The Longoz is the only Wildlife Development Area in Sakarya. In 2009, it was designated as a Wetland Area and a plan was developed for it. In this study the soil samples taken from various parts of the floodplain were carefully bagged and brought to the laboratory. The samples were placed in the Berlese-Tullgren funnel in the laboratory and the mite samples were dropped into 70% ethyl alcohol solution. The samples were then with the help of a pipette and needle under a light microscope and identified by taking photographs under an electron microscope. Specimens belonging to the families Punctoribatidae and Phenopelopidae were found. There are 101 species in 12 genera in the Punctoribatidae family and 99 species in 4 genera in the Phenopelopidae family. 5 species belonging to the Punctoribatidae family and 8 species belonging to the Phenopelopidae family have been previously recorded from Turkey. Three species belonging to families Punctoribatidae and Phenopelopidae are recorded from Acarlar floodplain forest during this research. The species Minunthozetes (M.) semirufus (Koch, 1841)(Punctoribatidae) previously recorded from Blacksea region of Türkiye, Punctoribates (Minguezetes) palustris (Banks, 1895)(Punchoribatidae) and Peloptulus (Sacculoptulus) sacculiferus (Weigmann, 2008)(Phenopelopidae) are firstly recorded from Türkiye. SEM images of the species are presented. Minunthozetes (M.) semirufus is a species distributed in the Palearctic region and Canada and was previously known from Giresun and Samsun provinces of Turkey (Bayartogtokh et al., 2002). This species is abundant in meadows, pastures, pastures, and soil surface mosses (Seniczak et al., 2018). It was found in the grassy soil under an Alnus tree. In this study, the average body size of Minunthozetes (M.) semirufus samples is consistent with Bayartogtokh et al. (2002), but is smaller than European samples according to Bayartogtokh et al. (2002). Punctoribates (Minguezetes) palustris indicates Nearctic (common) and Western Palearctic (Italy and Caucasus) (Subías, 2004; 2023 update). It was recorded for the first time in Turkiye with this study. Punctoribates (Minguezetes) palustris species have been reported to be seen in swamps and flooded forests (Mumladze and Murvanidze, 2016). It was recorded from the floodplain forest of our sample. Peloptulus (Sacculoptulus) sacculiferus was previously recorded only from the type locality; from the coastal region of Portugal, habitats adjacent to the sea, lagoon and river banks with meadow and shrub vegetation. Our samples were also recorded from the floodplain in the coastal region. Average body length and body width are closely similar to Weigmann (2008). This is the second record of Peloptulus (Sacculoptulus) sacculiferus in the world. It was previously recorded only from Portugal (Subías, 2004, 2023 update; Weigmann, 2008). Therefore, it can be said that it has a Mediterranean distribution.