Some edaphic mesostigmatic mites from Lordegan, Chaharmahal Bakhtiari province with their world distribution

Soil-dwelling mites and especially Gamasina (Mesostigmata) are very important to soil ecosystems. They are one of the major groups rich in species and abundance. In order to study mesostigmatic mite fauna, soil samples were collected from different oak forests of Lordegan region. The mites were extracted using Berlese-Tullgren funnels and then cleared in Lactic acid and mounted in Hoyerʹs medium. This study reports on the distribution of soil mesostigmatids in Iran and world-wide. Twenty species belonging to 13 genera of five families were collected and identified. Species are listed as follows: Ascidae: Arctoseius cetratus (Sellnick, 1940), Gamasellodes bicolor (Berlese, 1918), Antennoseius (Antennoseius) bacatus Athias-Henriot, 1961, Antennoseius (Antennoseius) masoviae (Sellnick, 1943). Blattisociidae: Lasioseius youcefi Athias-Henriot, 1959. Laelapidae: Cosmolaelaps rectangularis Sheals, 1962, Euandrolaelaps karawaiewi (Berlese, 1903), Gaeolaelaps aculeifer (Canestrini, 1883), Gaeolaelaps minor (Costa, 1968), Gaeolaelaps oreithyiae (Walter & Oliver, 1989), Haemolaelaps fenilis (Megnin, 1875), Haemolaelaps shealsi (Costa, 1968), Haemolaelaps schusteri (Hirschmann, 1966), Laelaspis kamalii Joharchi and Halliday, 2012, Laelaspis missouriensis (Ewing, 1904), Gymnolaelaps canestrinii (Berlese, 1903), Gymnolaelaps obscuroides (Costa, 1968). Ologamasidae: Sessiluncus hungaricus Karg, 1964, Allogamasellus sp.; Veigaiidae: Veigaia planicola Berlese, 1882. The genus Allogamasellus and Haemolaelaps schusteri are reported for the first time for Iranian mite fauna and the male of Laelaspis kamalii is reported for the first time for world fauna.