Systematic studies on Collohmannia, Neoliodes ve Oribotritia (Acari: Oribatida) species in Soğucak platue of Sakarya province

Soil is a complex ecosystem that contains many organisms. 40% of the arthropods living in the soil ecosystem are mites. Oribatid mites form the richest animal group in forest soils in terms of both individuals and species. They play an important role in the biological productivity of the soil by contributing to the degradation and decomposition of soil organic matter, humus synthesis, and the spread of fungi and bacteria in the soil. Some oibatid species are known to be important as bioindicators, indicators of the ecological impact of human activities on soil ecosystems, such as acid rain, air pollution, and tillage. For this reason, it is important to determine the biodiversity of oribatid mites in our country. Morphological descriptions of oribatid mites are based on their dorsal and ventral views and leg structures. The dorsal part consists of two regions, the notogaster and the prodorsum. The venter consists of two regions, the genitoanal and epimeral regions. The shape of the epimeral plates, the size and size of the seta of the genital and anal plates, the structure of the camerostome and subcapitulum containing the mouthparts, and the setal formulas are of systematic importance. There is a need for more studies to reveal the oribatid mite biodiversity in our country. Türkiye's oribatid mite (Acari, Oribatida) fauna has not been studied sufficiently. While the number of oribatid mites known worldwide is over 11,000, this number is only around 250 in our country. The main purpose of this research is to obtain the first data on the oribatid mite fauna (Oribotritia, Neoliodes and Collohmannia genera) of the Soğucak plateau, which is 1100 meters high and 17 kilometers away from Sapanca. Oribatid mite (Acari, Oribatida) fauna of Türkiye has not been studied sufficiently. While the number of oribatid mites known worldwide is over 11,000, this number is just around 250. The main purpose of this research is to obtain the first data about the oribatid mite fauna (Oribotritia, Neoliodes and Collohmannia genera) of Soğucak plateau. It is important to protect natural areas such as old forest areas, bushes, river banks with high species density and diversity, as they constitute reserves for other soil fauna. Soil samples taken from Sakarya province Soğucak plateau, which has a rich biotope and protected areas with a wide variety of vegetation, were brought to the Acarology laboratory of the Biology department and placed in combined Berlese-Tullgren funnels. Oribatid mites belonging to Oribotritia, Neoliodes and Collohmannia genera in the soil samples kept under a light source for one week were removed with the help of a pipette and needle under an Olympus SZX51 type stereo microscope after falling into the collection bottles containing 70% ethyl alcohol at the bottom of the apparatus. Cleaning and bleaching of oribatid mites was carried out in lactic acid, and examination was carried out under a Leica DM 1000 type light microscope. Speciesidentifications were made by Balogh and Balogh (1992), Weigmann (2006) and Walter et al. (2014) was made according to. JEOL JSM 6060 LV scanning electron microscope in Sakarya University Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department was used to examine the morphological features of taxa. In this thesis study, measurements were made with light microscope examinations of various body structures of soil mite species Oribotritia (O.) krivolutskyi, Neoliodes theleproctus and Collohmannia gigantea, scanning electron microscope images were taken, comparison with close species and species recorded from our country has been made in this thesis study. During the investigations of soil mites of Soğucak Plateau, three species belonging to genera Oribotritia and Collohmannia (Acari:Oribatida): Species species Oribotritia (O.) krivolutskyi Liu, Niedbała et Starý,2011, Neoliodes theleproctus (Hermann, 1804) and Collohmannia gigantea Sellnick 1922 were found. Oribotritia (O.) krivolutskyi Liu, Niedbała and Starý, 2011 is secondly recorded throughout the world and firstly recorded from Türkiye. Electron microscope images of the detected species are given. The species Neoliodes theleproctus, which has a semi-cosmopolitan distribution, was previously recorded in Yozgat province in Turkey in 2015 by Per et al. The species Collohmannia gigantea, which spreads in the holarctic zoogeographic region, was previously recorded from Amasya province in 2017 by Baran and Bezci in Turkey. The species Oribotritia (O.) krivolutskyi was previously recorded by Liu, Niedbała and Starý in 2011 only from the Caucasus (Azerbaijan) region in the world. With this study, it was recorded from Turkey for the second time in the world.