Nothrus silvestris

van der Hammen, L., 1959, Berlese's Primitive Oribatid Mites, Zoologische Verhandelingen 40, pp. 1-93 : 63

Nothrus silvestris Nicolet, 1855

Nothrus silvestris Nicolet, 1855, p. 458, pl. 7 fig. 4.

Nothrus anauniensis , Berlese, 1885a, fasc. 17 (7).

Angelia sylvestris , Berlese, 1896b, pp. 26, 29; 1913a, p. 158, textfig., prep. II-14.

Angelia anauniensis , Lombardini, 1936, p. 38.

Berlese (1885a) described the bidactylous form as Nothrus anauniensis Canestrini & Fanzago ; at present this form is generally recognized as a variety of N. silvestris . Sellnick & Forsslund (1955) described the species silvestris as well as the variety anauniensis .

I remark that Canestrini & Fanzago described Nothrus anauniensis in 1876 (p. 99), and afterwards in 1877 (p. 92, pl. 2 fig. 2; sep. p. 24, pl. 1 fig. 2). Sellnick & Forsslund erroneously cited the last-mentioned description as the original one. In the 1876 description anauniensis is described as bidactyle, but afterwards (1877) it is figured as monodactyle; Canestrini & Fanzago record that the length is about 1 mm, in which h2 is probably included.

Later, Canestrini (1884, p. 1426; sep. p. 30) placed anauniensis in the synonymy of Nothrus palustris , but Berlese (1885c, pp. 10, 31) demonstrated that anauniensis and palustris are diferent species, although he placed anauniensis with silvestris in the synonymy of biciliatus C. L. Koch .

Berlese (1896b) placed Nothrus anauniensis also in the synonymy of Angelia sylvestris (Berlese spelt the name sylvestris with y, whilst Nicolet used i, as well as y; the spelling with i is now in common use). The species was described as having 1 or 2 claws. In Berlese's 1913a figure, Angelia sylvestris is, however, tridactyle; the figure reminds nevertheless of Nothrus silvestris .

Some of Berlese's sylvestris and anauniensis specimens were studied by me; it appeared that they do not belong to one species. Slides nos. 27/43 and 39/6 for instance (labelled as Angelia sylvestris from Vallombrosa) contain Nothrus silvestris var. anauniensis . Slides nos. 11/39 and 122/1 (labelled as anauniensis ) contain, however, tridactylous specimens from Florence (length 0.800, broadth 0.370-0.385 mm) that are probably identical with Nothrus biciliatus C. L. Koch .