The importance of topotypic specimens in revisionary studies of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida)

Abstract

Taxonomic revisions should comply with certain best practices, one of which is to study topotypic specimens if type specimens are not available. We discuss the example of an oribatid mite, the classical species Carabodes labyrinthicus (Michael 1879), in which topotypes are critical to questions of identity, synonymy, and species status.