COMMUNITIES OF MITES (ACARI) ON OLD GALENA-CALAMINE MINING WASTELANDSAT GALMAN, POLAND

Mites (Oribatida, Gamasina and Uropodina) of abandoned old galena-cala mine mining wastelands are analysed and compared with mites of other n atural and post-industrial biotopes. Mite communities on wasteland wit h pine and beech are described. The investigated communities represent the last stage of the development of a mite community on galena-calam ine wastelands. They are typical of mite communities in forest habitat s. The differences in the structure of communities in pine and beech f orest were small. Oribatids of the superfamily Oppioidea and mesostigm atid species of the families Veigaiidae, Parasitidae and Polyaspididae (families typical of forest habitats) dominated the wastelands. The p roportion of moss mites feeding on microflora, bacteria, fungi and alg ae (microphytophages) was slightly higher than non-specialized species (panphytophages). As regards Mesostigmata, microarthropod feeders dom inated.