This paper reports on six species of soil-inhabiting mites of the family Laelapidae from Zanzibar, Tanzania: Gaeolaelaps praesternalis (Willmann), G. zanzibarensis sp. nov., Hypoaspisella bernhardi sp. nov., Ololaelaps placentula (Berlese), Ololaelaps placidus (Banks) and Pseudoparasitus missouriensis (Ewing). The subgenus Hypoaspis (Hypoaspisella) Bernhard, 1971 is raised to the genus level and its diagnosis is clarified.
Keywords: Acari, taxonomy, soil, Gaeolaelaps, Ololaelaps, Pseudoparasitus, Hypoaspisella, Ethiopian region, Afrotropical region.