Leptus nikanori Haitlinger 2000

Mayoral, J. G. & Barranco, P., 2011, A New Species Of Larval Leptus (Parasitengona: Erythraeidae) And New Records Of Larval Erythraeidae Parasitizing Orthoptera From French Guiana, Acarologia 51 (4), pp. 411-417 : 413

Leptus nikanori Haitlinger 2000

Material studied — 2 larvae, Kaw mountain . 8-1- 2008. French Guiana. P. Barranco leg. On Pseudoproscopia scabra (Klug 1820) P. Barranco det. (R- 282A-B) ; 6 larvae, Kaw mountain . 8-I-2008. Roura. French Guiana. P. Barranco leg. On Ommatotalpinae (R-283A-F) ; 2 larvae, Kaw mountain . 12- 1-2008. Roura. French Guiana. P. Barranco leg. On Ommatotalpinae (R-284A-B) ; 4 larvae, Kaw mountain . 8-1-2008. Roura. French Guiana. P. Barranco leg. On Anaulacomera sp. (R-285A-D) .

Remarks — Leptus nikanori was described from a single specimen from Irazoe, Costa Rica collected on plants ( Haitlinger 2000b). Later, it was captured parasitizing 3 species of katydids and 2 species of phasmids, also in Costa Rica ( Mayoral and Barranco 2011). For the first time this species is captured in French Guiana.

The morphometric data and chaetotaxia of these specimens are identical to the ones reported from Costa Rica (Mayoral and Barranco 2010). Interestingly, some specimens from French Guiana show a longer solenidia on tarsus I (72 – 94 µm) (R-282A,B; R-283A-F; R-284A,B) while other specimens captured in a location nearby have shorter solenidia (45 – 49 µm) (R-285A-D). The second ones have the same length ("short") as the ones reported from Costa Rica in Mayoral and Barranco (2011).