| abstract | The present study is based on oribatid mite material (Acari, Oribatida) collected from two dry forests in Central Ethiopia. A list of identified taxa is provided. It includes 26 species from 21 genera and 20 families; of these, Cosmochthonius lanatus (Michael, 1885) and the genus Cosmochthonius Berlese, 1910 are recorded in Ethiopia for the first time, and the species Oribatula interrupta (Willmann, 1939) is recorded in the Ethiopian region for the first time. A new species, Scheloribates (Bischeloribates) munesaensis spec. nov. (Scheloribatidae), are described from leaf litter of Munesa forest (dominated with Croton macrostachys). It differs from all species of S. (Bischeloribates) by the different number of leg claws (legs I monodactylous, legs II–IV bidactylous vs. all legs bidactylous). An identification key to known species of S. (Bischeloribates) is given. |