ORIBATIDA (ACARI) IN BALSAM FIR [ABIES-BALSAMEA (L)] FORESTS OF WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND

The oribatid fauna of commercial balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.)] fore sts of western Newfoundland were surveyed through Berlese funnel extra ction of samples taken from soil and various forest microhabitats. A t otal of 83 species or species complexes representing 39 families was c ollected. Fourteen genera and 36 species are new records for Newfoundl and. One genus, Haplozetes Willmann, 1935, is a new record for Canada. For each species, notes on abundance in soil samples and distribution among microhabitats are provided and for the more abundant species, s easonal variation in abundance of immature and adult stages is plotted .