Epicrius tauricus Bregetova, 1977

Án, Peter Ma Ò, 2008, The family Epicriidae in Slovakia: annotated faunal synopsis and description of a new species of Epicrius (Acari, Mesostigmata, Epicriidae), Zootaxa 1880, pp. 48-68 : 63-64

Epicrius tauricus Bregetova, 1977

Epicrius tauricus Bregetova, 1977: 31 ; Karg, 1993: 244; Gwiazdowicz, 2000: 469. Epicrius kargi Solomon, 1978: 9 (new synonymy); Karg, 1993: 244. Epicrius monticola .— Kalúz & Žuffová, 1989: 224; Kalúz, 1998: 78. Epicrius stellatus .— Kalúz, 1993: 72; Kalúz 1997: 67.

Epicrius schusteri .— Krumpál et al., 1998: 55.

Verified published data. Bukovské Vrchy Hills: Nová Sedlica, Dolina Zbojského Potoka; Nová Sedlica, Stužica, Kremenec; Nová Sedlica, Stužica, Krtia Lúka; Nová Sedlica, Stužica, Pod Kremencom; Runina, Ď urkovec; Ruský Potok, Veľký Bukovec; Topoľa, Pod Havešovou; Uličské Krivé, Rožok; Zboj, Stinská; Zboj, Stinská, Majková; Zboj, Slatina Pod Stinskou; Zboj, Sušice ( Fenďa & Mašán 2003). Malá Fatra Mts.: Terchová, Rozsutec, Nové Diery ( Fenďa & Mašán, 2003).

Revised published data. Malá Fatra Mts.: 1 Ψ – 15 June 1991, Šútovo, Šútovská Dolina (published as E. stellatus – Kalúz, 1997, coll. S. Kalúz); 2 ɗɗ – 3 October 1996, 5 October 1996, Terchová, Rozsutec (labelled as E. monticola – unpublished, coll. S. Kalúz). Slovenský Kras Karst: 1 Ψ – 27 July 1987, Silica, Silická Ľadnica (published as E. stellatus – Kalúz, 1993, deposited in the SNM Collection: SZ 5531); 1 ɗ – 4 May 1988, Hačava, Zádielska Planina, Grečov Vrch (published as E. monticola – Kalúz, 1998, coll. S. Kalúz). Ve ľká Fatra Mts.: 1 ɗ – 4 September 1985, Ľubochňa, Skalná Alpa (published as E. monticola – Kalúz & Žuffová, 1989, deposited in the SNM Collection: SZ 5531).

New data. 1 Ψ – 2/2; 1 ɗ – 6/1; 4 ΨΨ, 1 ɗ – 9/1; 1 Ψ – 9/2; 1 Ψ – 11/3; 1 Ψ – 13/1; 1 Ψ – 13/3; 1 ɗ – 13/4; 1 Ψ, 2 ɗɗ – 13/5; 1 ɗ – 13/6; 3 ΨΨ – 13/7; 1 ɗ – 13/8; 1 Ψ – 14/5; 1 Ψ – 15/1, 2 ΨΨ, 1 ɗ – 15/2; 1 Ψ, 2 ɗɗ – 15/3; 1 Ψ – 17/1; 2 ΨΨ – 20/1; 2 ɗɗ – 20/4; 4 ΨΨ, 5 ɗɗ – 20/5; 1 DN – 21/1; 1 Ψ – 23/1; 3 ɗɗ – 24/1; 2 ΨΨ – 28/3; 1 Ψ, 4 ɗɗ – 28/4; 1 Ψ – 28/5; 1 Ψ – 28/6; 1 Ψ – 29/2; 3 ΨΨ – 30/1; 2 ΨΨ, 3 ɗɗ – 30/2; 1 Ψ – 30/4; 1 Ψ – 30/5; 1 Ψ, 1 ɗ – 30/8; 6 ΨΨ, 1 DN – 30/9; 3 ΨΨ, 7 ɗɗ – 33/1; 1 Ψ, 5 ɗɗ – 36/1.

Notes. On the basis of the original descriptions and precise illustrations, I am not able to find any reliable differential characters for separating E. tauricus Bregetova, 1977 and E. kargi Solomon, 1978 , both described from South-East Europe ( Bregetova, 1977; Solomon, 1978). The distinguishing characters established by Karg (1993) are variable and scarcely applicable to specimens collected in Slovakia. In spite of the fact that the type material of both species was not available for study, there can be little doubt of their synonymy. It is interesting that before 2003, all specimens of this species from Slovakia were published under the names stellatus (females) or monticola (males), respectively.

Ecology. Eurypotent detriticole with wide ecological plasticity, and one of the most common epicriids widely distributed in Slovakia ( Fig. 1 ). Euryzonal sylvicolous species ranging from low hilly countries (170 m) to the subalpine zone of mountains (1,560 m in dwarf pine forest in Veľká Fatra Mts.), with an optimum up to 1,000 m ( Fig. 2 ). Epicrius tauricus can be found in various woodland habitats while its occurrence in grasslands was not recorded so far. It inhabits both deciduous and coniferous forests, but it is evidently most frequent and abundant in broad-leaved forests. Euryhygrophilous species because it does not avoid forested alluvial stands with more humid to waterlogged substrates (e.g. Alnion glutinosae and Petasition), and thermophilous and arid forest stands ( Quercetum cerris ). From the zoogeographical aspect, this species seems to be an original element of the South-East European fauna.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Known distribution of epicriid species in Slovakia (dotted area represents Pannonian flora distribution).

FIGURE 2. Distribution of relative abundance and frequency of the most common epicriids in dependence on altitude in Slovakia. Explanations: white bar – relative abundance, black bar – relative frequency.