A new genus and species of Laelapidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) from Iran

Abstract

A new monotypic mite genus of the family Laelapidae, Persicolaelaps gen. nov., is described to accommodate a new species, P. hallidayi sp. nov., on the basis of adult female specimens collected from decaying wood, soil and litter in northern Iran, Golestan and Mazandaran provinces, respectively. The new genus can be distinguished from other members of the family by a combination of morphological attributes, some of which are unique or rarely observed in laelapids, such as (1) a series of small subrectangular sclerites flanking dorsally coxae I and gnathosomal base and adjoining podal plates anterolaterally, which are extending from and fused with sternal shield between coxae I and II; (2) an epigynal shield, so broad as to reach or even overlap acetabula III-IV, posteriorly axe-shaped; (3) metasternal setae absent; (4) a typical anal shield, though capturing pair of opisthogastric setae JV3; (5) gnathotectum triangular and acuminate; (6) the presence of six setae on trochanter IV; (7) genu IV with two ventral setae (occasional in Laelapidae); (8) internal malae with a series of thick, elongate filaments.

A new species of Reticulolaelaps Costa (Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) from the Iberian Peninsula, with a key to world species

“…Remarks -Differences between this species and other known members of Reticulolaelaps are summarized in the key to the species. The pattern of idiosomal glands and lyrifissures (incompletely illustrated in this work) is similar to the pattern described by Kazemi & Beaulieu (2016) for other members of Laelapidae.…”

Review of the mite genus Ololaelaps (Acari, Laelapidae) and redescription of O. formidabilis Berlese

“…As explained in Kazemi and Beaulieu (2016), the recently described monotypic genus Persicolaelaps shares many features with Ololaelaps, notably the dome-like dorsal shield bearing attenuate setae, and well-developed exopodal strips that are fused anteriorly with the sternal shield's anterolateral arms (via endopodal elements). Note that such (anterior) fusion of exopodal-sternal shields occurs in other laelapids (e.g., Alloparasitus oblongus (Halbert); Evans and Till 1966).…”

“…However, in Ololaelaps, this feature seems associated with the anterolateral expansion of the genital shield, which leaves little soft cuticle available for the insertion of st4 and iv3. In other genera where the genital shield is more pronounced anteriorly, st4 has even disappeared (Kazemi and Beaulieu 2016). This 'weaker' seta, formed only during the deutonymphal stage, is also repressed in the adults or even the deutonymphs of other gamasines (Evans and Till 1965, Karg 2000, Lindquist 2003, Kazemi and Beaulieu 2016.…”

A new species and new record of Gaeolaelaps Evans and Till (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) from Iran

“…The family Laelapidae currently includes 92 known genera and more than 1300 described species and is morphologically and ecologically the most diverse family of Mesostigmata (Beaulieu et al 2011;Kazemi et al 2014;Nemati and Gwiazdowicz 2016;Kazemi and Beaulieu 2016). The predatory hypoaspidine genus Gaeolaelaps Evans & Till, 1966 comprises about 100 described species distributed worldwide (Kazemi et al 2014).…”