Arixenia esau Jordan, 1909

Hastriter, Michael W., Miller, Kelly B., Svenson, Gavin J., Martin, Gavin J. & Whiting, Michael F., 2017, New record of a phoretic flea associated with earwigs (Dermaptera, Arixeniidae) and a redescription of the bat flea Lagaropsyllasignata (Siphonaptera, Ischnopsyllidae), ZooKeys 657, pp. 67-79 : 71-74

Arixenia esau Jordan, 1909 Figs 10-11, 12

Note.

Arixenia esau is a robustly built, highly mobile earwig capable of transporting many fleas for significant distances (Fig. 10). Numerous specimens of Lagaropsylla signata were observed clinging to the hairs of Arixenia esau . Two such observations were photographed with the fleas in situ (Figs 11-12). The flea (Fig. 12) is grasping setae with five of its six tarsal claws (arrows). It was physically difficult to dislodge the fleas from Arixenia esau whose body and legs are somewhat densely covered with fine long setae (Figs 11-12).

Material examined.

Arixenia esau , Deer Cave, 162 m, Gunung Mulu National Park, 04°01'18"N, 114°49'24"E, Sarawak, Malaysia, 16 X 2006, KBM, (20 adult ♂, 45 adult ♀, 34 nymphs). Arixenia esau , Headquarters, 23 m, Gunung Mulu National Park, 04°02'32.8"N, 114°48'49.6"E, Sarawak Malaysia, 14-16, 21-25 I 2009, GJS, (2 adult ♂, 2 adult ♀, 5 nymphs).