Ameroseius furcatus Ameroseius pseudofurcatus Ameroseius furcatus A revision of the family Ameroseiidae (Acari, Mesostigmata), with some data on Slovak fauna Masan, Peter ZooKeys 2017 2017-09-29 704 1 228 B8BK3 B374FEB1-23ED-50E1-85FF-CE2BD810183E Karg, 1971 Karg 1971 Arachnida Ameroseiidae Ameroseius CoL Animalia Ameroseius furcatus Mesostigmata 0 1 Arthropoda species furcatus   Plates 14 , 15 , 16   Ameroseius furcatusKarg, 1971a: 231.  Ameroseius pseudofurcatusLivshits & Mitrofanov, 1975: 462. Syn. n.  Ameroseius furcatus. - Bregetova 1977: 158; Karg 1993: 228; Hajizadeh et al. 2013b:68.  Type depository. Of  Ameroseius furcatus- Museum fuerNaturkunde, Berlin, Germany; of  Ameroseius pseudofurcatus- Nikita Botanical Gardens, National Scientific Center, Yalta, Crimea, Russia (the type specimens not found and probably lost, based on personal communication from Alex Khaustov).  Type locality and habitat. Of  Ameroseius furcatus- Germany, Naturschutzgebiet Kalktuffmiedermoor at Oechsen ( Rhoen), in tussocks of grass with roots; of  Ameroseius pseudofurcatus- Russia, Crimea, Nikita Botanical Gardens, in leaf litter under common hazel (  Corylus avellana) from a park.  Comparative material.   Germany: 2 ♀♀(ZMB: 40199, holotype; ZMB: 40200, paratype) - 17. 8. 1967, Kalktuffniedermoor, suedw. von Oechsen/  Rhoen, Grasm. Wurzeln am Westhang, 2979, 2980.  Iran: 2 ♀♀(CJH) - Guilan Province, soil sample, leg. J. Hajizadeh.  Russia: 10 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂(IZSAV) - 9. 1. 1973, Crimea, Nikita Botanical Gardens, litter under  Quercus pubescens(labelled  Ameroseius pseudofurcatus).  Published material from Slovakia.  CerovaVrchovina Highland: SiatorskaBukovinka Village, SomoskaCastle ( Fenďa and Masan2009).  Revised material from Slovakia:   PodunajskaRovina Flatland: 1 ♀- 30. 11. 1994,  BodikyVillage(labelled as  Ameroseius pseudoplumosus- leg. et det. S. Kaluz, unpublished but registered by the ' Databank of Slovak Fauna'at former http://zoology.fns.uniba.sk/dfs/system300.htm).  New material from Slovakia.  HorehronskePodolie Basin:  2 ♀♀, 1 ♂- 20. 6. 2006, Zlatno Village, Zlatnianske Skalky Forest, pine forest (  Pinus sylvestris), soil and detritus from ant-hill of  Formicasp. ( Hymenoptera, Formicidae), altitude  755 m, leg. P. Masan. MaleKarpaty Mts.:  2 ♀♀- 1. 5. 2005, Bratislava Capital, Karlova Ves Settlement,  MokryJarok Valley, oak forest (  Quercetum) with ash (  Fraxinussp.), hornbeam (  Carpinus betulus) and maple (  Acersp.), moss and tinder from decaying ash stump, altitude  230 m, leg. P. Masan;  85 ♀♀, 9 ♂♂- 8. 6. 2013,  Plavecky MikulasVillage,  DeravaSkala Cave, broad-leaved deciduous forest, rocky shelter (crepuscular cave), soil detritus, altitude  380 m, leg. P. Masan. Nitrianska Pahorkatina Wold:  1 ♀, 1 ♂- 28. 6. 2004,  NemeckyVillage,  KulhanForest, oak-beech forest (  Querco-Fagetum), leaf litter and soil detritus, altitude  320 m, leg. J. Carnogursky. VolovskeVrchy Hills:  2 ♀♀- 7. 8. 2016,  KojsovVillage,  TurniskaForest, beech forest (  Fagion sylvaticae), rocky shelter (crepuscular cave), leaf litter and soil detritus deposited in rocky cervices, altitude  720 m, leg. P. Masan.  Remarks.   Ameroseius furcatuswas originally described from Germany, where it was collected in a tussock of grass with roots ( Karg 1971a). Karg included this species to an identification key, without adequate morphological description. The species was only very briefly diagnosed by him, and based only on two accompanying illustrations, the epistome and dorsal shield. These illustrations were partly confusing because Karg drew the epistome as a flat structure having smooth anterior margin, and the dorsal shield bearing only 24 pairs of setae. The examination of the type material of  A. furcatusshowed that the epistome is elongate and marginally serrate, and the dorsal shield possesses the normal 29 pairs of setae. Distinctive features of  A. furcatusfemales include the peculiar presence of a pair of small rounded platelets between pseudo-metasternal platelets, short and rounded hyaline appendage on distal apex of movable cheliceral digit, and the insertion of JV3 on (ventri)anal shield, but they were neglected by Karg (1971a). I believe that the inconsistent original description of  Ameroseius furcatus, especially the absence of comments on specific ventral features and a misinterpretation of the dorsal chaetotaxy ( Karg 1971a), led to description of the same species under the name  Ameroseius pseudofurcatus. The latter has been thoroughly described and illustrated by Livshits and Mitrofanov (1975)from specimens from the Nikita Botanical Gardens, Crimea, from leaf litter under common hazel. I have not examined type specimens of that species, but I have a slide with numerous specimens (ten females, four males) from a mite collection of the Nikita Botanical Gardens, National Scientific Center, Yalta, Crimea (received from Alex Khaustov), collected in the type locality, and labelled as follows:  Ameroseius pseudofurcatus, dub pushistyi, podstilka, gnbs( gosudarsennyi nikitskii botanicheskii sad), 9. 1. 1973 (leaf litter under downy oak,  Quercus pubescens, State Nikita Botanical Gardens). From previously published descriptions ( Karg 1971a, Livshits and Mitrofanov 1975), observations of the primary type of  A. furcatus, and examination of conspecific material from Germany, Crimea and Slovakia I have concluded that the both above mentioned species are identical and should be considered as synonymous. 1967-08-17 Kalktuffniedermoor, von Oechsen, Rhoen, Gras Germany Wurzeln am Westhang 2 2 holotype 2017-01-01 2017-12-31 2017-01-01 J. Hajizadeh. Iran Guilan Province 2 2 Guilan Province holotype 1973-01-09 Crimea, Nikita Botanical Gardens Russia Russia 14 10 4 holotype 1994-11-30 S. Kaluz Bodiky Village Databank of Slovak Fauna' 1 1 2006-06-20 P. Masan. Male Karpaty Mts. 755 Zlatno Village Zlatnianske Skalky Forest 3 2 1 2005-05-01 P. Masan Mokry Jarok Valley 230 Bratislava Capital Karlova Ves Settlement 2 2 2013-06-08 P. Masan. Nitrianska Pahorkatina Wold 380 Plavecky Mikulas Village Derava Skala Cave 94 85 9 2004-06-28 J. Carnogursky. Volovske Vrchy Hills 320 Nemecky Village Kulhan Forest 2 1 1 2016-08-07 P. Masan. 720 Kojsov Village Turniska Forest 2 2