A new genus and species of Laelapidae from Iran with notes on Gymnolaelaps Berlese and Laelaspisella Marais & Loots (Acari, Mesostigmata).

Pogonolaelaps gen. n. a new genus of Laelapidae Berlese is erected and described based on Pogonolaelaps canestrinii (Berlese), comb. n. as well as on specimens which were collected from soil and ant nests in different parts of Iran. Also, a new species Pogonolaelaps beaulieui sp. n. is described based on specimens collected from soil, litter and ant nests in various parts of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, Iran. The genus Gymnolaelaps is revised considering species with some morphological deviations. Gymnolaelaps reniculus (Karg, 1981) and Gymnolaelaps triquetrus (Karg, 2003) are removed from this genus and placed in their original genus Pseudoparasitus. The characters of Laelaspisella Marais & Loots, 1969 are discussed in a detail along with a proposal of a new definition.