New records of water mites collected in 2022 and 2023 from northeastern Iran and southwestern Turkiye, are presented. DNA barcodes of 58 specimens, morphologically assigned to 13 species were newly generated. An integrative approach that combines morphology and DNA barcodes revealed three new species for water mite fauna of Türkiye, i.e. Lebertia variolata Gerecke, 2009, Torrenticola baueri Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1987 and Atractides zagrosensis Pešić, Saboori & Asadi, 2016, significantly widening their so far known area of distribution. Torrenticola ramini Bader, 1988, is reported for the first time since its original description, and T. eseni sp. nov. is described as new to science.

New records of water mites from Iran and Turkey revealed by DNA barcoding are presented. DNA barcodes were recovered from 44 water mite specimens morphologically assigned to 18 species. The DNA barcoding data for the twelve species were uploaded into the BOLD database. One species of the Hygrobates longiporus-complex, H. thori Pešić & Smit sp. nov. is described as new for science and Hydrodroma persica Pešić & Saboori, 2012 is reported as new for Turkey. We propose to lower the taxonomic status of Hydrodroma golestanica to a subspecies of H. torrenticola, i.e. H. torrenticola golestanica nov. stat.

Water mites of the genus Mideopsis are often a very abundant member of running and standing water communities whose taxonomy has been based almost exclusively on traditional morphological studies. In this study, we present a species-level phylogeny of the genus in Europe using 71 cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes available in the BOLD database. In addition to morphological identification, we applied two different molecular taxon delimitation approaches (Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning - ASAP and multi-rate Poisson tree processes). The ASAP molecular delimitation revealed the presence of five molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTU), i.e., M. crassipes Soar, 1904, M. milankovici Pešić & Smit, 2020, M. roztoczensis Biesiadka & Kowalik, 1979 and two distinct M. orbicularis MOTUs, both widely distributed and sympatric in Central and Northern Europe. Morphological analysis revealed that specimens of Clade 1 match the description given by Biesiadka & Kowalik (1979) for Mideopsis orbicularis. We highlight the need for a thorough revision of the genus Mideopsis in Europe by integrating morphological and molecular data.

The objectives of our survey were to determine the most important environmental factors within buffer zones that influenced mollusc communities and to evaluate the ecological conservation value of natural aquatic habitats (NAHs) that support mollusc species. Analysis of the spatial structure of buffer zones and catchments was based on a set of landscape metrics. Land cover classes were determined, and buffer zones within a radius of 500 m from a sampling point were marked out. Mollusc samples were collected from each NAHs. Our results showed that the number of patches and mean patch size were most associated with the distribution of mollusc species. Within patches of buffer zones, the length of the catchment boundaries with low-density housing, an increasing area of forest and pH of the water were also significant. Our results proved that landscape metrics provide essential information about catchment anthropogenic transformation. Therefore, landscape metrics and the designated buffer zones should be included in restoration plans for the river, water bodies and adjacent habitats as elements of modern, sustainable water management. NAHs located along a valley of a lowland river provide refuges for molluscs, play an essential role in the dispersal of IAS, create important protective biogeochemical barriers for rivers, constitute necessary sources of moisture and water and support microhabitats for distinct mollusc communities, especially in the context of global warming.

This study presents the molecular and morphological results from an analysis of water mites collected in southwestern Türkiye. 83 COI barcodes are provided, clustered into 40 BINs, with 23 BINs being unique and deposited for the first time in the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD). The first DNA barcodes for eight water mite species are uploaded into the BOLD database. In total, 34 water mite species were identified and one of them, Iranothyas marismortui (Gerecke, 1999) is newly reported from Türkiye. Iranothyas alhajarica Pešić, Gerecke & Smit, 2009 is excluded from the fauna of Türkiye. Sperchon fundamentalis Bader & Sepasgozarian, 1980, a species previously synonymized with S. glandulosus Koenike, 1886 is resurrected as a valid species. One species, Atractides turani Pešić, Zawal, Gülle & Smit, sp. nov. (Hygrobatidae), is described as new to science.

Water mites represent the group with the highest degree of endemism among all macroinvertebrates living in freshwater habitats of Madeira. The water mite fauna of this archipelago has been well known for a long time, but until now they have not been molecularly investigated. So far, 25 species of water mites have been recorded, most of them endemic to Madeira. The library presented here covers 584 COI DNA barcodes grouped into 23 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs), which represent the genetic barcodes of 23 species (more than 80% of the known Madeira water mite fauna). Our study shows that COI barcode clusters generated by the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) matches to morphological identifications of specimens, with one exception in the family Lebertiidae. A large-scale comparison of the new sequences with those available in public databases such as BOLD confirmed the uniqueness of the genetic diversity of water mites inhabiting Madeira. Neumania atlantida Lundblad, 1941, a species previously synonymized with N. uncinata Walter, 1927, is resurrected as a valid species. Additionally, genetic data revealed that Sperchon brevirostris Koenike, 1895, a species common in freshwaters of Europe and Macaronesia, consists of multiple genetic lineages, one of which is restricted to Madeira. Finally, our research revealed three species new to the water mite fauna of Madeira, i.e., Hydrachna skorikowi Piersig, 1900, Arrenurus bicuspidator Berlese, 1885 and Lebertia algeriensis Lundblad, 1942. The latter species, found to be common in the running waters of the island, may be the first species of water mite documented as potentially, if not invasive, then non-indigenous in freshwater ecosystems of Madeira.