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Issue: Vol. 5763 No. 3: 4 Mar. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-03-04
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5763.3.5
Page range: 391-406
Abstract views: 8
PDF downloaded: 0

Molecular diversity of water mites of the Turkish eastern Black Sea basin, with the description of two new species (Acari, Hydrachnidia)

Department of Biology; University of Montenegro; Džordža Vašingtona b.b.; 81000 Podgorica; Montenegro
Faculty of Fisheries; Recep Tayyip Erdogan University; Rize; Türkiye
Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences; Center of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; University of Szczecin; Wąska 13; 71–415 Szczecin; Poland
Institute of Biology; University of Szczecin; Wąska 13; 71-415 Szczecin; Poland
Department of Biology; University of Montenegro; Džordža Vašingtona b.b.; 81000 Podgorica; Montenegro
Faculty of Fisheries; Recep Tayyip Erdogan University; Rize; Türkiye
Faculty of Fisheries; Recep Tayyip Erdogan University; Rize; Türkiye
Faculty of Fisheries; Recep Tayyip Erdogan University; Rize; Türkiye
Acari water mites taxonomy cytochrome c oxidase subunit i (coi) new species new records türkiye

Abstract

This study identified water mites collected from coastal streams in the provinces of Rize and Trabzon, which flow directly into the Black Sea, using both molecular and morphological approaches. A total of 42 COI barcodes were generated and clustered into 19 BINs, corresponding morphologically to 15 species. Two species, Hygrobates turani sp. nov. and Atractides karadenizensis sp. nov. (Hygrobatidae), are described as new to science, while Sperchon milisai Pešić, 2022, and Hygrobates grabowskii Pešić, Saboori, Zawal & Dabert, 2019, are newly reported from Türkiye. The study demonstrates that only a small fraction of Türkiye’s water mite diversity can currently be identified using existing DNA-barcode libraries, highlighting the need for their further expansion and refinement in future research.

 

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How to Cite

Pešić, V., Bayçelebi, E., Zawal, A., Bańkowska, A., Jovanović, M., Kumru, S., Baytaşoğlu, H. & Kalayci, G. (2026) Molecular diversity of water mites of the Turkish eastern Black Sea basin, with the description of two new species (Acari, Hydrachnidia). Zootaxa, 5763 (3), 391–406. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5763.3.5