The importance of topotypic specimens in revisionary studies of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida)

Abstract

Taxonomic revisions should comply with certain best practices, one of which is to study topotypic specimens if type specimens are not available. We discuss the example of an oribatid mite, the classical species Carabodes labyrinthicus (Michael 1879), in which topotypes are critical to questions of identity, synonymy, and species status.

A comparative study of the fauna associated with nest mounds of native and introduced populations of the red wood ant Formica paralugubris

“…Four of these, Carabodes labyrinthicus Michael, 1879, Carabodes ornatus Storkán, 1925, Liacarus coracinus Koch, 1841, and Pergalumna nervosa Berlese 1914, have previously been described as preferring the nest habitat [42]. Most of the species collected are quite common, such as the ones belonging to the Carabodes genus, which can be found both in European and American forests, mainly in tree bark where lichens, mosses, and fungi are present [69,70].…”