Recognition of Fuscozetes spitsbergensis (Thor, 1934) n. comb. (Acari, Oribatida, Ceratozetidae), with taxonomic remarks on Fuscozetes
Abstract
All ontogenetic instars of the cryobiont, arctic-alpine oribatid mite Ceratozetes spitsbergensis Thor, 1934 (Oribatida, Ceratozetidae) were collected from moss cushions on the Chelyuskin Peninsula, Taimyr, northernmost Russia. Juvenile instars are described. The larval instar is characterized by the absence of the humeral organ and humeral sclerite, and the presence of gastronotal macrosclerite (bearing setae dp, lp, and h₁) located posteriorly on the gastronotum as well as medium-sized, barbed dorsocentral gastronotal setae. Nymphal instars are characterized by the presence of a weakly defined humeral organ, large gastronotal macrosclerite, a well-developed humeral sclerite (bearing seta c₁), and comparatively shorter, thinner dorsocentral gastronotal setae. Based on COI sequences and morphology of adults and juvenile instars, C. spitsbergensis is combined in the genus Fuscozetes. Because of significant similarities between the ontogenetic instars and habitats of Fuscozetes spitsbergensis and F. coulsoni (also described from Svalbard) we propose the latter as a junior synonym of the former. We revise the diagnosis of Fuscozetes and give identification keys to the known larvae and tritonymphs of Fuscozetes. COI sequences along with juvenile morphology allow differentiation of the very similar species, F. spitsbergensis and F. setiger, that are practically indistinguishable in adulthood. A summary of the distribution and habitats of F. spitsbergensis in the Holarctic region is presented, and the evident upwards altitudinal shift was confirmed for more southern populations. Direct laboratory observations have shown F. spitsbergensis feeding on various lichen species.
Related
- Genome-resolved metagenomics reveals the taxonomic and functional landscape of the rumen microbiome in Japanese Black × Holstein cattle and its associations with carcass traits
- The use of sequence databases for taxonomic research in phytovirology and the application of factor analysis of correspondences to the clustering of geminiviruses
- From deployment to functioning ecosystems: assessing taxonomic richness and community composition on modular shellfish reefs using environmental DNA metabarcoding
- Genus-wide re-speciation of Corynebacterium and genomic characterisation of 87 sinus isolates resolves taxonomic conflicts and identifies four candidate novel species
- TRIDENT (Taxonomic Resolution and IDentification using Environmental dNa Traces): An Optimized Algorithm for Vertebrate Taxonomic Assignments in eDNA Metabarcoding, Integrating Molecular, Taxonomic, and Ecological Criteria
BibTeX
@article{ermilov2026recognition,
title = {{Recognition of Fuscozetes spitsbergensis (Thor, 1934) n. comb. (Acari, Oribatida, Ceratozetidae), with taxonomic remarks on Fuscozetes}},
author = {Sergey G Ermilov and Olga L Makarova and Boris V Andrianov and Valerie M Behan-Pelletier},
journal = {Acarologia},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.24349/812s-xa4j},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05775212v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Recognition of Fuscozetes spitsbergensis (Thor, 1934) n. comb. (Acari, Oribatida, Ceratozetidae), with taxonomic remarks on Fuscozetes
AU - Sergey G Ermilov
AU - Olga L Makarova
AU - Boris V Andrianov
AU - Valerie M Behan-Pelletier
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
JO - Acarologia
DO - 10.24349/812s-xa4j
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05775212v1
AB - All ontogenetic instars of the cryobiont, arctic-alpine oribatid mite Ceratozetes spitsbergensis Thor, 1934 (Oribatida, Ceratozetidae) were collected from moss cushions on the Chelyuskin Peninsula, Taimyr, northernmost Russia. Juvenile instars are described. The larval instar is characterized by the absence of the humeral organ and humeral sclerite, and the presence of gastronotal macrosclerite (bearing setae dp, lp, and h₁) located posteriorly on the gastronotum as well as medium-sized, barbed dorsocentral gastronotal setae. Nymphal instars are characterized by the presence of a weakly defined humeral organ, large gastronotal macrosclerite, a well-developed humeral sclerite (bearing seta c₁), and comparatively shorter, thinner dorsocentral gastronotal setae. Based on COI sequences and morphology of adults and juvenile instars, C. spitsbergensis is combined in the genus Fuscozetes. Because of significant similarities between the ontogenetic instars and habitats of Fuscozetes spitsbergensis and F. coulsoni (also described from Svalbard) we propose the latter as a junior synonym of the former. We revise the diagnosis of Fuscozetes and give identification keys to the known larvae and tritonymphs of Fuscozetes. COI sequences along with juvenile morphology allow differentiation of the very similar species, F. spitsbergensis and F. setiger, that are practically indistinguishable in adulthood. A summary of the distribution and habitats of F. spitsbergensis in the Holarctic region is presented, and the evident upwards altitudinal shift was confirmed for more southern populations. Direct laboratory observations have shown F. spitsbergensis feeding on various lichen species.
SN - 0044-586X
SN - 2107-7207
ER -