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Two water mite species (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from karst springs new for the fauna of Croatia with notes on distribution and environmental preferences

One fifth of all described water mite species show clear preferences to spring ecosystems. The main goal of this research was to contribute to the knowledge of water mite assemblages, species richness and abundance in karst springs, with a special emphasis on comparing rheocrene and limnocrene spring ecosystems. The limnocrene spring Modro Oko in the Southern Dalmatia had only one water mite species recorded in the studied period, showing very low abundances, whereas the rheocrene spring of Jadro River in the Central Dalmatia showed both higher species richness (ten taxa recorded) and abundance. First records of two water mite species of the family Hygrobatidae from karst springs situated in the coastline area of Croatia are provided and discussed: Hygrobates setosus Besseling, 1942 and Atractides distans (K. Viets, 1914). Including these two additional records, a total number of 88 water mite species are recorded from Croatia so far.

Hygrobatidae, karst springs, rheocrene, limnocrene, new records, Dalmatia

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