First report of Polyaspis patavinus Berlese (Acari: Mesostigmata: Polyaspididae) from Iran (Short report)

Mites of the genus Polyaspis Berlese, 1881 belong to the family Polyaspididae (Uropodina: Polyaspidoidea) and P. patavinus Berlese, 1881 is its type species which its morphological details represented by Athias (1975, 1976). 
These mites occur in litter, moss, and tree holes and feed on nematodes and small arthropods such as collembolans (1). Some diagnostic characters of the genus are: hypostomal setae h2 serrate, h3 smooth and movable digit of chelicera edentate. In the studies on uropodid mites in north area of Iran during about 10 years (2003-2013), several specimens of different stages of P. patavinus were collected mostly from forest litter in different area of Mazandaran, Guilan and Golestan Provinces. Also, some specimens of the species were collected in soil and litter of oak forests in Khoramabad County in spring of 2013. Previously, the genus has been reported from Iran by introducing an unidentified species (3), and this is the first record of a Polyaspis species from Iran.
Some of the differential diagnostic characters of the species are as follows: A large suboval dorsal shield, a relatively narrow pygidial shield (ratio of length/width 3–4), and usually small and suboval marginal platelets bearing 1–3 setae on dorsal idiosoma; idiosomal setae with medium length or relatively short, mostly widened; genital shield suboval, densely covered with small polygonal reticulation, sternal setae v3 and v4 needle-like, on posterior area of shield; inguinal shields not attached medially behind genital shield.