EN
The research into the Oribatid mites was conducted in the Bielańsko-Tyniecki Landscape Park in Cracow in locations where horses and sheep periodically grazed. The research material comprised soil samples collected from three sites. Site I - a fenced area, which was exposed to the sun, overgrown with grass, and located on an elevation where sheep were pastured. Site 2 was located in the vicinity of a horse paddock. The soil in Site 2 was compacted and had sparse vegetation. Site 3, located in lower areas, was a meadow adjacent to the Vistula river bank, which was used as a horse pasture by a riding school. Soil samples of 10 × 10 cm in size and 5-10 cm in depth sometimes contained the remains of animal feces and a mite microenvironment (grass tussocks). The mites were obtained from the soil in Tullgren funnels; subsequently they were sorted out and the content of their bodies marked and analysed in preparations made by using Grandjean’s method (14). In the collected research material species participating in the life cycle of tapeworms constituted 85% in Site 1, 82% in Site 2 and 92% in Site 3. There were the following species: Scheloribates laevigatus (C. L. Koch, 1836), Liebstadia similis (Michael, 1886), Galumna elimata (C. L. Koch, 1841), Galumna obvia (Berlese, 1914), Ceratozetes gracilis (Michael, 1884), Ceratozetes peritus (Grandjean, 1951), Achipteria coleoptrata (Linne, 1758) as well as Trichoribates novus (Sellenick, 1928). In 2 out of 880 examined specimens the presence of tapeworms at two developmental stages was confirmed. They were: an egg in the species Liebstadia similis and a cysticercoid in Achipteria coleoptrata. The results show that it is useful to study Oribatida on small pastures because in such places there are favorable conditions for the mite and animal feces to meet in a confined area.