Opusc. Zool. Budapest, 2013, 44 (suppl. 1): 97–131 Uropodina mites of the Balkan Peninsula (Acari: Mesostigmata) J. KONTSCHÁN Dr. Jenő Kontschán, Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1525 Budapest, P.O. Box 102, Hungary and Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Szent István University, Gödöllő, Páter Károly str. 1, H-2100, Hungary. E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract. 64 Uropodina mite species are listed from the countries of the Balkan Peninsula. Several new occurrences of the species found are given; all occurrences are depicted on maps. 24 species are listed from Albania, 22 from Greece, 21 from Croatia, 19 from Bulgaria, 17 from Montenegro, 14 from Macedonia, 13 from Serbia, 12 from Bosnia-Herzegovina and 3 from the European part of Turkey. Description and new illustrations of the female of Polyaspinus feheri Kontschán, 2003 are given. Ecological characteristics and zoogeography of the species listed are discussed and furthermore, a new key to the Balkanic Uropodina species is provided. Keywords. Acari, Uropodina, faunistics, taxonomy, Balkan Peninsula, key to the species. INTRODUCTION Balkan, therefore its fauna is not dealt with in the present work. ropodina is one of the most characteristic The main goals of the present paper are sum- U groups of the Mesostigmata mites. They can marizing all of the so far known data on the Uro- be characterized as follows: relative short legs, re- podina mites of the Balkan Peninsula and give a duced setae on legs, usually fused sternal and vent- general insight into the composition and distribu- ral shields, hypostomal setae situated in a row and tion of the Uropodina fauna.