| Three new short-horned grasshopper hosts for Leptus (Leptus) darvishi (Acari: Erythraeidae) |
| Paper ID : 1023-IPCA5 (R2) |
| Authors |
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Ebrahim Mobasheri *1, Marjan Seiedy1, Masoud Hakimitabar2, Najmeh Kiany1 1School of Biology and Center of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, College of Science, University of Tehran 2Department of Horticulture and Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Shahrood University of Technology |
| Abstract |
| Parasitengona mites belong to Trombidiformes order and Prostigmata suborder and include one of the largest groups of Acari. They have more than 9000 species and are divided into two ecological groups: aquatic and terrestrial Parasitengona. There are seven superfamilies in terrestrial parasitengone mites as listed, Allotanaupodoidea Zhang & Fan, 2007; Amphotrombidoidea Zhang, 1998; Calyptostomatoidea Oudemans, 1923; Erythraeoidea Robineau-Desvoidy, 1828; Tanaupodoidea Thor, 1935; Trombidioidea Leach, 1815 and Yurebilloidea Southcott, 1996. Erythraeidae Robineau-Desvoidy, 1828 which is in Erythraeoidea includes seven subfamilies including the subfamily Leptinae Billberg, 1820.The genus Leptus Latreille, 1796 belongs to the subfamily Leptinae with 235 species were identified and divided into eight groups, and 40 subgroups which among them only 15 species recorded from Iran. The species L. (L.) darvishi belongs to the akkus species subgroup and sudanensis species group which has the following characters: Palpal femur with one seta, palpal genu with two setae, more than four setae between coxae II & III, TFe I without solenidion, Ge I with one solenidion, fn BFe 2-2-1, with setae between coxae I-II, with more than two setae between coxae II (more than one pair of intercoxal setae II). Sampling was conducted across three ecosystems (steppe, wetland, mountainous) in Central Alborz, Iran, from March to November in 2024. Short-horned grasshoppers were collected via sweep-netting, and mites were extracted using fine needle. Specimens were cleared in Nesbit’s solution and lactic acid, and finally mounted on microscope slides using Faure’s medium. The species was collected in association with the three new short-horned grasshopper hosts: Calliptamus barbarus (Costa, 1836) (four specimens), Sphingonotus nebulosus (Fischer von Waldheim, 1846) (two specimens), and Dociostaurus hauensteini (Bolívar, 1893) (11 specimens) (Orthoptera: Acrididae). These findings indicate that L. darvishi does not have a special host specialization and is found as an ectoparasite on various species of the Orthoptera which, of course, requires more sampling in the other regions. |
| Keywords |
| Leptus darvishi, Erythraeidae, host specificity, Orthoptera, Central Alborz, Parasitengona, ectoparasite. |
| Status: Abstract Accepted |
