Pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) in Estonia: new records and an annotated checklist
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33338/ef.60259Abstract
The current knowledge of pseudoscorpions in Estonia is summarized, based on specimens preserved in various Estonian collections and new material collected from 1993 to 2015. Altogether 474 studied specimens belonged to 14 species, including nine species recorded from Estonia for the first time. Supplemented by Apocheiridium rossicum, listed by literature data only, the number of known Estonian pseudoscorpions is now set at 15. The findings of Mesochelifer ressli are the northernmost known for the species. Some ecological and phenological observations were made on the most common species, along with notes on the habitat preferences of other species and the use of different trapping methods. The composition of the known Estonian fauna is compared with the published records from the neighbouring countries, revealing a highest similarity to the Finnish fauna.The possible occurrence of other species in Estonia and the latitudinal species diversity gradient in the Eastern Baltic region are shortly discussed.