| abstract | A taxonomic survey is presented of 48 species of cryptostigmatic mites, representing 27 genera and 22 families, collected during the years 1965-1967 from St. Helena. Descriptions are given of 27 new species. The collections are considered to be generally representative of the cryptostigmatid fauna of the island, and they reveal that the endemic and non-endemic components of the fauna are approximately equally represented. The non-endemic component is largely European in origin, to which is added a small African element. The endemic component consist of a heterogenous assemblage of species, with the notable exceptions of two groups, the genera Scheloribates and Carabodes, which apparently have originated from African stocks and have speciated to an appreciable extent on the island. An analysis of distribution pattern on the island reveals that the very large majority of the species are more or less restricted to the moist habitats around the High Central Ridge area. There is no evidence, from these collections, that a xerophilous component has become established in the drier coastal lowlands. |