要旨
ln the lowland rain forest of Panguana, Departamento Huanuco, a qualitative comparison was made
between the communities of edaphic and arboricolous oribatid mites living up to 15 m above ground. 205
species of oribatid mites from 17.382 specimens were found. 38 % of the species only occurred in soil
samples, 22 % only in epiphytes and 40 % were found both in the forest soil and in epiphytes. As in
temperate regions, a characteristic tree fauna can be distinguished from the soil fauna in the tropical rain forest
in Panguana.
The two communities of oribatid mites are composed of species with different ecological demands. With
40 % the percentage of generalists is much higher in Panguana than in Europe where TRAVÉ (1963)
considered 7,2 % of the species as generalists. This result can be explained by relatively constant climatic
conditions in the tropical rain forest in comparison to forests in temperate regions. Therefore, many species
which mainly live in the forest soil, are able to colonize the epiphytic soils as well. In contrast 22 % of the
species in Panguana are regarded as arboricolous specialists which is nearly the same as in Europe where
TRAVÉ (1963) characterizes 24 % of the species as arboricolous.
