Water mites from spring- and ground-water habitats in the Sultanate of Oman

Eight species of water mite were collected in 1996 during a biological survey with various sampling techniques by J. H. Stock, J. J. Vermeulen (both Amsterdam) and Abdul M. Al Nofli (Oman) from ground-water habitats of the Sultanate of Oman (Arabian peninsula). All species are recorded for the first time from the Arabian peninsula. Four species, representing the genera Monatractides , Bharatohydracarus (two species), and a genus and subfamily new to science, are described for the first time. The systematic and zoogeographical significance of these new records is discussed.