| abstract | A checklist of identified oribatid mite taxa from riverine freshwater environments from six islands in Polynesia (New Caledonia, Tahiti, Moorea, Rurutu, Tubuai, Raiatea) is presented; 18 species, 16 genera and eight families were recorded. Trhypochthoniellus longisetus (Berlese, 1904) and Trimalaconothrus albulus Hammer, 1972 prevailed on distribution. Fortuynia smiti sp. n. (Fortuyniidae) is described from New Caledonia. The new species is morphologically most similar to Fortuynia marina Hammen, 1960 from New Guinea, but it differs from the latter by the longer notogastral setae dm, lm, c2, p1, epimeral setae 3b and adanal setae ad1 and the presence of prodorsal lateral ridges. |