Heterochthonius gibbus Berlese

van der Hammen, L., 1959, Berlese's Primitive Oribatid Mites, Zoologische Verhandelingen 40, pp. 1-93 : 23-24

Heterochthonius gibbus Berlese , 1910

Cosmochthonius (Heterochthonius) gibbus Berlese , 1910, p. 222, pl. 20 fig. 50 1).

Heterochthonius gibbus , Grandjean, 1928, p. 235, figs. 1-4.

The original description of the species is founded on specimens from the "Monte Falterona", a mountain in Tuscany. In the Berlese Collection I found indeed two preparations (viz. the nos. 80/9 and 80/10) from this locality; they are designated as type. There is further one slide (no. 146/28) on which "Vallombrosa" (also in the mountains of Tuscany) is recorded as locality.

In their present state, two slides (nos. 80/9 and 146/28) are not suited for study. No. 80/10 is, however, in a satisfactory condition; it fits in with the description of specimens from the Vosges (Grandjean, 1928). I draw attention to the fact that eyes are distinctly visible in this type-specimen, so that it is certain that Berlese (who did not raention it) overlooked this unique character.

1) In the explanation of the plate, Berlese spells the subgeneric name as Heterocthonius .