The family Epicriidae in Slovakia: annotated faunal synopsis and description of a new species of Epicrius (Acari, Mesostigmata, Epicriidae) Author Án, Peter Ma Ò text Zootaxa 2008 1880 48 68 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.184190 64828d50-43c4-4756-a484-bd9c1b2cd93a 1175-5326 184190 Epicrius resinae Karg, 1971 Epicrius resinae Karg, 1971 : 106 ; Bregetova, 1977 : 31 , 39; Karg, 1993 : 245 ; Gwiazdowicz, 2000 : 471 ; Kontschán, 2004 : 231 . ? Epicrius reticulatus Grübe, 1859 : 459 , 474. Epicrius mollis .— Trägårdh, 1942 : 3 ; Kalúz & Žuffová, 1989 : 224 . Epicrius reticulatus .— Huhta et al ., 1986 : 360 . Verified or reliable published data . Bukovské Vrchy Hills: Nová Sedlica, Dolina Zbojského Potoka; Nová Sedlica, Stužica, Krtia Lúka; Nová Sedlica, Stužica, Pod Kremencom; Nová Sedlica, Stužica, Príkry; Ruské, Záruba; Ruský Potok, Veľký Bukovec; Uličské Krivé, Rožok; Zboj, Riaba Skala; Zboj, Stinská; Zboj, Slatina Pod Stinskou ( Fenďa & Mašán, 2003 ). Oravská Magura Mts.: Zázrivá, Minčol; Zázrivá, Paráč ( Kalúz, 1996 ). Revised published data . Veľká Fatra Mts.: 1 ɗ – 17 June 1986 , Ľubochňa, Skalná Alpa (published as E . mollis – Kalúz & Žuffová 1989 , deposited in the Slovak National Museum Collection: SZ 5531). New data . 2 ΨΨ, 1 DN – 1/2; 1 Ψ – 2/1; 1 ɗ – 2/2; 1 Ψ – 7/1; 2 ΨΨ – 8/1; 1 ɗ – 10/1; 1 ɗ – 11/1; 2 ɗɗ – 11/2; 1 Ψ – 11/4; 6 ΨΨ, 2 ɗɗ – 12/5; 2 ΨΨ, 2 ɗɗ – 13/2; 4 ΨΨ – 13/8; 6 ΨΨ, 3 ɗɗ – 14/1; 7 ΨΨ, 9 ɗɗ – 14/2; 1 Ψ – 14/3; 1 Ψ – 14/4; 1 ɗ – 15/1; 1 ɗ – 15/2; 1 Ψ – 16/1; 1 Ψ – 17/1; 2 ΨΨ, 4 ɗɗ – 19/1; 1 ɗ – 20/1; 2 ΨΨ, 1 ɗ – 20/4; 4 ΨΨ, 2 ɗɗ – 23/1; 3 ΨΨ, 1 ɗ – 24/1; 1 Ψ – 28/1; 1 Ψ – 28/2; 1 Ψ – 28/3; 1 ɗ – 28/5; 4 ΨΨ – 28/6; 3 ΨΨ, 2 DNs – 29/1; 3 ΨΨ, 2 ɗɗ – 30/1; 4 ΨΨ, 1 ɗ, 2 DNs – 30/2; 1 Ψ – 30/3; 4 ΨΨ – 30/5; 2 ΨΨ, 3 ɗɗ, 1 DN – 30/6; 2 ΨΨ – 30/7; 1 Ψ – 31/1; 1 ɗ – 31/2; 4 ΨΨ, 1 ɗ – 31/3; 4 ΨΨ, 1 ɗ – 32/1; 8 ΨΨ, 3 ɗɗ, 1 DN – 32/2; 2 ɗɗ – 34/1; 3 ΨΨ – 34/2; 5 ΨΨ, 4 ɗɗ – 34/3; 2 ΨΨ – 34/4; 3 ΨΨ – 34/5; 3 ΨΨ – 34/6; 3 ΨΨ, 1 DN – 34/7; 1 ɗ – 1/1; 1 Ψ – 34/8; 2 ΨΨ – 34/9; 2 ɗɗ – 35/1. Ecology . This is a eurypotent species with a wide ecological plasticity, and the commonest and most abundant epicriid, widely distributed in Slovakia ( Fig. 1 ). It inhabits soil detritus, leaf and needle litter, mouldering wood substrates in various degrees of decomposition, mosses and the rhizosphere of herbs. Euryzonal species ranging from low hilly countries ( 200 m in Ipeľská Pahorkatina Wold) to alpine grasslands ( 2,120 m in Vysoké Tatry Mts.), with an optimum between 400 and 1,750 m ( Fig. 2 ). In areas below the timber-line it evidently shows silvicolous requirements in various types of forest habitats. In higher altitude stands, it can colonise, relatively frequently and abundantly, dwarf-pine growths ( Pinion mugi ), open grassy habitats and other non-woodland phytocoenoses (found in herbal associations Caricion firmae , Juncetum trifidi , Seslerion tatrae , and Carduo glaucini -Caricetum tatrorum ). E . resinae inhabits stands of both deciduous and coniferous forests, and shows no preference for one of the types . It was not recorded in thermophilous forests or lowland willow-poplar flood-plain forests, and it avoids very humid substrates. A European element. Notes . The species is sometimes considered to be synonymous with E . reticulatus ( Grube, 1859 ) by some authors (Lehtinen & Huhta, pers. comm.), and also published under this name ( Huhta et al ., 1986 ). According to Evans (1955) , the original description of E . reticulatus is sufficient only to indicate that the species probably belongs to the genus Epicrius , so this synonymy cannot be definitely confirmed.