A systematic investigation on cryptognathid mites (Acari: Cryptognathidae) of Kelkit Valley (Turkey)

In this study; cryptognathid mites collected from Kelkit Valley have been evaluated systematically. Three species belonging to the genus Cryptognathus Kramer, 1879 and six species belonging to the genus Favognathus Luxton, 1973 have been determined. Of these; Favognathus distortus (Kuznetsov, 1974) is new record for the Turkish fauna. In the introduction of the paper given on original description of this species, it has been mentioned that femur I has three setae as for all the species dealt with in the paper, but shown four setae on femur I in the figure. Khanjani & Ueckermann (2008) agreed to femur I with three setae in their identification key for all Favognathus. In Turkish specimens it has been determined that femur I bears four setae. One of the species determined from the research area, Favognathus kamili sp. nov., is new to science. The new species is similar to Favognathus dakotoensis (McDaniel & Bolen, 1979) and F. ochraceus (Summers & Chaudhri, 1965) in general appearance; however it can be distinguished from them by the anterior edge of hood smooth, dorsolateral punctations smaller size than centrals, coxa-sternal region without striae and reticulum, tc on tarsus II similar. Furthermore, it was decided that the Turkish specimens named as Favognathus orbiculatus (Livshitz) by Koc & Ayyildiz (1999), Dogan & Ayyildiz (2004), Akyol (2007) belonged to Favognathus kamili sp. nov. and these specimens subsequently were transferred to this new species. Additionally, the males of Favognathus bafranus Dogan, 2008 and the deutonymph females of Cryptognathus lagena Kramer, 1879 and Cryptognathus ozkani Dogan & Ayyildiz, 2001 have been found for the first time in this study.