Laelaspis Berlese, 1903

Kazemi, Shahrooz, 2015, A new species of Laelaspis Berlese (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) from Iran, with a revised generic concept and notes on significant morphological attributes in the genus, Zootaxa 4044 (3), pp. 411-428 : 413

Genus Laelaspis Berlese, 1903

Laelaps (Laelaspis) Berlese, 1903: 13 .

Type species: Laelaps astronomicus Koch, 1839 , by original designation.

Short diagnosis. Laelapidae mites with suboval, broad idiosoma covered mostly or completely by a dorsal shield usually bearing 39 pairs of slender or slightly thickened, smooth, sparsely barbed or pectinate setae. Presternal platelets absent. Epigynal shield expanded past coxae IV, posteriorly reaching anal shield, bearing at least two pairs of setae, st5, JV1 and sometimes JV2, setae JV1–2 on lateral margins of shield, shield ornamented with two distinct Λ-shaped lines of ornamentation. Metapodal platelets free in female, fused to holoventral shield in male. Palpapotele two-tined. Legs relatively short, none longer than idiosoma; genu IV with only one ventral setae; macrosetae absent.

The following species are considered as members of Laelaspis and used for the detailed diagnosis of the genus:

Laelaspis astronomicus (C.L. Koch, 1839) [described as Iphis astronomicus ], L. aviator Berlese, 1920 ; L. bakeri Hunter & Davis, 1962 ; L. brevichelis Hunter, 1964 ; L. brevipilis Hunter, 1961 ; L. calidus Berlese, 1924 ; L. dariusi Joharchi & Jalaeian, 2012 ; L. dubitatus Hunter, 1964 ; L. equitans (Michael, 1891) [described as Laelaps equitans ]; L. finitimus ( Berlese, 1903) [described as Laelaps finitimus ]; L. formationis ( Karg, 1989) [described as Hypoaspis (Laelaspis) formationis ]; L. guilaniensis Ramroodi et al., 2014 ; L. humeratus ( Berlese, 1904) [described as Laelaps (Laelaspis) humeratus ]; L. imitatus Reitblat, 1963 ; L. johnieae ( Hunter & Glover, 1968) [described as Hypoaspis (Laelaspis) johnieae ]; L. kamalii Joharchi & Halliday, 2012 ; L. latanalis (Karg, 2000) [described as Hypoaspis (Laelaspis) latanalis ]; L. longipilis Hunter, 1964 ; L. longogenitalis (Karg, 1978) [described as Hypoaspis (Cosmolaelaps) longogenitalis ]; L. lundi Hunter, 1961 ; L. moseri ( Hunter & Glover, 1968) [described as Hypoaspis (Laelaspis) moseri ]; L. mossadeghi Babaeian & Joharchi, 2013 ; L. mumai ( Hunter & Glover, 1968) [described as Hypoaspis (Laelaspis) mumai ]; L. myrmicae (Greim in Hirschmann et al., 1969) [described as Hypoaspis (Laelaspis) myrmicae ]; L. ningxiaensis Bai & Gu, 1993 ; L. ovisugus ( Berlese, 1903) [described as Laelaps ovisugus ]; L. patulus Allred, 1969 ; L. pauli Hunter & Davis, 1962 ; L. pennatus Joharchi & Halliday, 2012 ; L. persicus Joharchi & Halliday, 2012 ; L. picketti ( Hunter & Glover, 1968) [described as Hypoaspis (Laelaspis) picketti ]; L. piloscutuli Hunter, 1961 ; L. regalis Berlese, 1920 ; L. secedens Berlese, 1920 ; L. sinicus Chang, Chen, Yin, 1963 ; L. variopilus (Greim in Hirschmann et al., 1969) [described as Hypoaspis (Laelaspis) variopilus ]; L. vitzthumi ( Womersley, 1956) [described as Gymnolaelaps vitzthumi ]; L. volgini Shereef & Afifi, 1980 ; L. zhongweinsis Bai & Gu, 1993 .

Laelaspis equitans var. longitarsa ( Berlese, 1904) , which was described as Laelaps (Laelaspis) equitans var. longitarsa was excluded from the previous list because of its very poor original description without any illustration, and also because its type specimens have been lost ( Castagnoli & Pegazzano, 1985). Gymnolaelaps australicus Womersley, 1956 and G. planus Womersley, 1956 seem to be other members of Laelaspis that I had not opportunity to examine their holotypes to be sure for transferring them to Laelaspis .