Laelaspis Berlese

Joharchi, Omid, Halliday, Bruce & Saboori, Alireza, 2012, Three new species of Laelaspis Berlese from Iran (Acari: Laelapidae), with a review of the species occurring in the Western Palaearctic Region, Journal of Natural History 46 (31 - 32), pp. 1999-2018 : 2000-2001

Genus Laelaspis Berlese

Laelaps (Laelaspis) Berlese, 1903: 13 .

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

Diagnosis

Laelapidae with a two-tined palp tarsal claw; genital shield wide, strongly expanded posterior to coxae IV, with characteristic ornamentation including two distinct Λ- shaped lines. Pre-sternal shield usually absent. Genu IV with nine setae including

one ventral seta. Dorsal shield setae smooth or slightly serrated, sometimes with paired Zx setae between J and Z series setae, and sometimes also with unpaired Jx setae.

Notes on the genus

Laelaspis belongs to a group of genera of Laelapidae in which the genital shield of the female is greatly expanded, so that its posterior margin abuts the anal shield and its lateral margins extend outward behind coxae IV. The expanded genito-ventral shield in these genera captures at least two pairs of ventral setae in addition to the genital setae. Laelaspis is distinguished from Gymnolaelaps by its two-tined palp tarsal claw, the absence of pre-sternal shields, and the presence of two distinct Λ- shaped lines on the genital shield. Laelaspis differs from Pseudoparasitus because Pseudoparasitus has at least two pairs of setae on the surface of the genital shield, well separated from the edges of the shield, whereas all the genital setae of Laelaspis and Gymnolaelaps are on the extreme edges of the shield.