The primitive ptyctimous mites are one of the most important groups of oribatid mites (Acari), with almost cosmopolitan distribution, except for the Arctic and the Antarctic regions. These mites occur especially in places where there is decaying organic matter. In this study, a detailed catalogue of all known ptyctimous mite species in the world is presented. The catalogue provides information about the zoogeographical distribution of each species, discusses important nomenclatural issues and addresses some remarks. Besides this, it also contains useful data on known juvenile instars of 47 species. The catalogue also presents a classification of the higher taxa of eight families, four subfamilies, 42 genera, 15 subgenera, the taxonomic characteristics and the information about the zoogeographical distribution of 1458 valid known species from all over the world. Among them, 231 species and one genus are enumerated as synonyms, nine homonyms, one rejected name, one genus inquirenda, 41 species inquirendae, four subspecies inquirendae, one genus incertae sedis, 39 species incertae sedis, 12 species nomina nuda, two species mistakenly identified, one species without the author’s name, and one non-ptyctimous mite species are included in the catalogue. Furthermore, the DNA sequence data of 53 ptyctimous species (belonging to eight families, 15 genera) can be found in the GenBank. Finally, the attached appendix contains important corrections referring to the published monographs published by the first author, and a list of new species described after the publication of these monographs. SEM photos of some typical ptyctimous mites showing their diversity are attached.

Distribution patterns of biodiversity and environmental interactions are dominant themes in ecology. In montane ecosystems, biodiversity is closely associated with altitudinal gradients. However, studies of biodiversity in montane ecosystems are focused on plants and vertebrates, with relatively less on invertebrates. Here, the present study used a Vortis arthropod suction sampler to explore the biodiversity patterns of soil surface‐dwelling Oribatida and their drivers along an altitudinal gradient (600, 800, 1600, 2000, and 2300 m) from typical temperate forests, evergreen coniferous forests, subalpine birch forests to alpine tundra on the north slope of Changbai Mountain, Northeast China. Trichoribates berlesei, Platynothrus peltifer, and Oribatula tibialis were the dominant soil surface‐dwelling species on Changbai Mountain. Generally, alpha diversity and beta diversity of soil surface‐dwelling Oribatida decreased with the rising altitude, with a peaking density value at 2000 m. The result of beta diversity showed that the structures of community were more influenced by the species turnover component than the nestedness component. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination showed that the community structure of soil surface‐dwelling Oribatida varied significantly along the altitudinal gradient. The variance partitioning showed that the elevation and climatic conditions determined the soil surface‐dwelling Oribatida community. Spatial filtering represented by geographic and elevation distances was particularly associated with soil surface‐dwelling Oribatida community variation between altitudes on Changbai Mountain. However, the variation of the Oribatida community between adjacent altitudes was only associated with geographic distance. Our study provides supportive evidence for the biodiversity analyzing of soil surface‐dwelling Oribatida in montane ecosystems along an altitudinal gradient.

Three new species of the genus Austrophthiracarus from New Zealand (Acari: Oribatida: Phthiracaridae)

The species checklist is the basic data that reflects the species diversity in a country or region. In order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the taxonomic study of oribatid mites in China and the 60th anniversary of the Special Committee of Acarology of the Entomological Society of China, and to explore the China's biodiversity, and scientifically answer “how many species and what species are there in China”, we compiled a checklist of Chinese oribatid mites, including a total of 1000 species and 35 subspecies in 311 genera and 158 subgenera representing 112 families. In addition, we provided a brief history of taxonomic research on oribatid mites in China in the past 100 years, Chinese name, literature citations and provincial distribution information of each species and subspecies, and a list of species nomina nuda. This work will support China's actions to implement the “Convention on Biological Diversity”, and promote biodiversity research and protection.

Two new species of steganacarid mites (Oribatida: Phthiracaroidea) from Yunnan Province, Southwest China, Plonaphacarus chuxiongensis sp. nov. and Hoplophthiracarus jianchuanensis sp. nov., are described and illustrated. Keys to all known species of Plonaphacarus and Hoplophthiracarus from China are proposed to facilitate further studies of these groups.