ORIBATID MITE (ACARINA: CRYPTOSTIGMATA) FAUNA FROM THE THAR DESERT OF RAJASTHAN, INDIA

Indian Thar Desert covers part of the four Indian states (Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan) covering an area of 1,02,400 sq. krns. The acarine fauna of the Thar Desert is very little explored. Oribatid mites commonly known as "moss-mites" or "beetle-mites" are the most beneficial soildwelling mites. These tiny creatures play an important role in the formation of soil particles as well as in promoting soil fertility. Even then our knowledge on the oribatid mite fauna of Thar is not sufficient. Reddy et ale (1978) was the first to mention about the oribatids of the Thar Desert. They reported only one species of oribatid from Rajasthan. Later Sanyal (1996) reported five other species for the first time from this region.


INTRODUCTION
Indian Thar Desert covers part of the four Indian states (Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan) covering an area of 1,02,400 sq.krns.The acarine fauna of the Thar Desert is very little explored.
Oribatid mites commonly known as "moss-mites" or "beetle-mites" are the most beneficial soildwelling mites.These tiny creatures play an important role in the formation of soil particles as well as in promoting soil fertility.Even then our knowledge on the oribatid mite fauna of Thar is not sufficient.Reddy et ale (1978) was the first to mention about the oribatids of the Thar Desert.
They reported only one species of oribatid from Rajasthan.Later Sanyal (1996) reported five other species for the first time from this region.
The present account on soil oribatid mites, received from the Desert Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India, Jodhpur, recorded seventeen species belonging to thirteen genera under eleven families.All the species in this study are recorded for the first time from this region.
Hence, the total number of oribatid species known from the Indian Thar Desert stands at twenty three.