Study on the mite fauna of vegetation and soil of a natural pasture in Co. Ioannina, Greece

A two year’s study on the acarofauna of a natural pasture in Co. Ioannina, Greece, showed that species richness of Prostigmata was higher in the aerial part (herbage) than in soil, whereas the opposite was true for Cryptostigmata. The evaluation of taxa using the criteria of dominance and frequency showed that the most characteristic taxa were the following: a) for the vegetation Ceratozetoidea, Peloptulus sp., immature stages of Cryptostigmata and Triophtydeus sp. b) for the soil Ceratozetoidea, Galumnoidea, Oppiidae(a), Oppiidae(b), Oribatuloidea(a), Oribatuloidea(b), Tectocepheus sp., immature stages of Cryptostigmata, Lorryia sp. and Triophtydeus sp. The study of seasonal fluctuation of the most important of them for the two years showed that immature stages of Cryptostigmata developed higher population densities during summer for the vegetation while for the soil the higher densities occurred during autumn. The adult Cryptostigmata showed higher densities during winter for the vegetation while during summer for the soil. The taxon Triophtydeus sp. developed higher population densities during summer and autumn for both the vegetation and soil.