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

Herein, a new species of the hypoaspidine mite genus Gaeolaelaps, G. mirzakhaniae n. sp., is described on the basis of adult female and male specimens collected in soil and litter of citrus orchards in Kerman Province, southeastern Iran. Also, supplementary information for G. queenslandicus (Womersley) is presented. Moreover, Gaeolaelaps schusteri (Hirschmann) is reported for the first time from Iran on the basis of specimens collected in Mangrove forests of Qeshm in the Persian Gulf.


Introduction
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 . Beaulieu (2009) reviewed the concept of this genus and then Kazemi et al. (2014) revised this concept and presented notes on some morphological attributes, particularly idiosomal gland pores and poroids.
To date, 20 species of Gaeolaelaps have been reported from Iran of which nine species (G. jondishapouri Nemati and Kavianpour; G. iranicus Kavianpour and Nemati; G. farajii Nemati and Mohseni; G. orbiculatus Nemati and Mohseni; G. mossadeghi Kavianpour and Nemati; G. khajooii Kazemi et al.; G. ahangarani Kazemi and Beaulieu; G. lenis Vatankhah and Nemati; G. izajiensis Saeidi et al.) were described as new for science Nemati and Mohseni 2013;Kavianpour et al. 2013;Kazemi et al. 2014;Kavianpour and Nemati 2014;Saeidi et al., 2016;Vatankhah et al. 2016). The Mangrove or Hara Forests of Qeshm in the Persian Gulf, southern Iran, is a protected area that is dominantly covered by Avicennia marina. The mite fauna of Mangrove forests in southern Iran is almost unknown. In this paper we describe a new species of Gaeolaelaps based on adult female and male specimens collected in citrus orchards in Kerman Province, southeastern Iran, and also report G. schusteri (Hirschmann, 1969) for the first time from Hara Forests in northern of the Persian Gulf, Hormozgan Province, Iran.
Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf, southern Iran. Mites were extracted from the samples using Berlese-Tullgren funnels, cleared in Nesbitt's fluid and then mounted in Hoyer's medium on microscope slides. Also, the holotype of G. queenslandicus (Womersley, 1956) was examined by junior author (SK).
Morphological observations, measurements and illustrations were made using a compound microscope equipped with differential interference contrast and phase contrast optical systems, and a drawing tube (Olympus BX51). All given measurements are in micrometers (μm). Dorsal shield length was taken from the anterior to posterior shield margins along the midline, and the shield width from the lateral margins at the level of setae r3 and also gland pores gd9; the length and width of the idiosoma, including the dorsal shield and the soft marginal cuticle, were also measured at the same levels (width only at level of setae j6). The width of the sternal shield was taken from lateral margins of the shield at the level of setae st2, and its length from the anterior to posterior margins along the midline. The length of epigynal shield was measured from the anterior margin of the hyaline extension to the posterior margin of the shield along the midline; shield width was taken at level of st5. The anal shield length and width were measured along the midline from the anterior to posterior margins, including the cribrum, and at the broadest point, respectively. The length of male holoventral shield was taken from the anterior to posterior shield margins (including the gonopore) and its width at level of setae st2 and also at broadest point. Legs lengths were measured from the base of the coxae to the apex of tarsi, excluding ambulacra (stalk, claws and pulvillus). The lengths of the second cheliceral segment were taken from their base to the apex of the fixed digit, and their widths at the broadest point. The lengths of the fixed cheliceral digits were measured from the dorsal poroid to the apex and that of the movable digits from the base to apex.

Taxonomy
Diagnosis -The genus diagnosis of Beaulieu (2009) and modified by Kazemi et al. (2014) were followed.
Remarks -Gaeolaelaps mirzakhaniae n. sp. can be readily distinguished from all other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: (1) dorsal shield narrowed behind level of setae r3, then abruptly tapered past gland pores gd9 to end into a round, V-shaped apex; (2) dorsal shield bearing 39 pairs of setae, including px2-3, and seven pairs of (1966) redescribed again the species and additionally described its deutonymph. However, based on examination of some specimens of the species collected in different regions in Iran and the type species, we found some discrepancies between our materials and the previous description/redescriptions including: (1) peritremes reach to level of setae s1 ( Figure 5C), but Womersley mentioned to long peritremes only, and Ryke and Costa referred to peritremes reaching to level of coxae I, and reaching to behind setae z1, respectively; (2) dorsal shield has slightly ( Figure 5A, and Figure 32 in Ryke (1963)) or distinct (Figure 1 in ) depressions laterally between setae S3-4, but in the original description Figure 48B almost no depressions were illustrated; (3) anterolateral edges of the sternal shield well-developed between coxae I-II, bearing gland pores gvb, and also gv1 in posterior region of the shield (Figures 5B), but without anterolateral edges, gvb and gv1 in the original description and also redescriptions; (4) a pair of narrow parapodal plates bearing gland pores gv2 and also small exopodal platelets between coxae III-IV present, not mentioned in the original description and redescriptions. Also, anal shield is considerably longer than wide, with ratio of length/width 1.6-1.7 ( Figures 5D).
Previously, Kazemi et al. (2014), who examined a single poorly mounted specimen of G. queenslandicus, stated that gland pores gd4 were not present in G. queenslandicus. However, a recent examination showed that gd4 are present in G. queenslandicus. Also, this species has gland pores gv1 near the posterior margin of sternal shield which may represent a species group within Gaeolaelaps. These glands or their remnants are also present in some other Gaeolaelaps species, including G. aculeifer (G. Canestrini), G. angusta (Karg) (probably junior synonym of G. queenslandicus), G. nolli (Karg), G. kargi (Costa), G. khajooii, G. ahangarani, G. jondishapouri, G. cf farajii and the newly described species, G. mirzakhaniae.