Latina (wasp)

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Latina is a genus of South American chalcid wasps in the family Eucharitidae. There are four known species, with three found in Argentina and one in Venezuela. The genus was first named Laurella in 2002, but that name was already used for another group of insects, so it was changed to Latina in honor of Latin America where they occur. Like other Eucharitidae, Latina wasps are ant parasites. They lay eggs on the undersides of leaves near nests of Ponerine ants. The eggs hatch into mobile planidial larvae that can leap. These larvae enter the ant colonies, most likely carried by the ants, and then seek out ant larvae or prepupae to feed on. After completing development, they emerge, leaving behind the remnants of the ant larva.