A species being worthy of its name: Intraspecific variations on the gnathosomal characters in topotypic heteromorphic males of Cheylostigmaeus variatus (Acari: Stigmaeidae)

Cheylostigmaeus variatus (Acari: Stigmaeidae) is only knownfrom Turkey. It has been called variatus,due to showing variations in the shapes of lamellae and dorsal cheliceralsurfaces in the heteromorphic males. During the present work, we found fivetopotypic heteromorphic male specimens among mite specimens in the grassy soiland moss collected from the type locality, Ekşisu Marsh in Erzincan province,Turkey. These topotype specimens of the species including holotype and paratypewere examined. During the examination, we observed variations in the shapes oflamellae, dorsal cheliceral surfaces and apophyses on the internal and externalsurfaces of palp femur. We consider that the differences observed in theheteromorphic male specimens are intraspecific variations, that it is true toits epithet name and that there is not enough evidences to justify a newspecies. This hypothesis may be supported by the rearing of a population of thespecies or molecular evidence.