Psilothrips bimaculatus (Priesner)

Rasool, Iftekhar, Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S., Alattal, Yehya Zaki & Aldhafer, Hathal M., 2021, The Anaphothrips genus-group of Thripidae (Thysanoptera) from Saudi Arabia with two new species of Eremiothrips, Journal of Natural History 55 (25 - 26), pp. 1599-1617 : 1614

Psilothrips bimaculatus (Priesner)

( Figures 46–51 )

Thamnothrips bimaculatus Priesner, 1932: 3

This species was described originally from Egypt but is widespread from southern Mediterranean countries to the Middle East, India and China ( Minaei and Mound 2015). It appears to live on leaves of Lycium spp. (Solanaceae) , and in China is primarily associated with Lycium halimifolium ( Li et al. 2012) . In Saudi Arabia it has been found breeding on the leaves of Lycium shawii at multiple localities across Riyadh and Al Baha provinces. The adults can be distinguished from other members of the genus by: body yellow with light brown pigmentation; pronotal posteroangular setae small and stout, shorter than width of antennal segment II; metanotum without markings within the sculptured reticles; tergite IX without transverse bands of microtrichia.

Larvae. Second-instar larvae with major body setae branched.

Material examined

All deposited in KSMA and collected by I . Rasool , except where otherwise indicated . Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Rumah, Rawdat Khuraim, 74 females, 3 males and 11 larvae from Lycium shawii , 30 January 2029 (Yousif N. Aldryhim and I. Rasool ); same locality and host, 27 females, 5 males and 27 larvae, 28 August 2020; 39 females, 3 males and 4 larvae from L . shawii, 26 February 2019 (Yousif N. Aldryhim and I. Rasool). Al-Deri’yya, Al Oyayna Rd. 1 female from Pennisetum setaceum , 23 January 2019 (Yousif N. Aldryhim and I. Rasool). Al Muzahamiya, Jilah , 30 females, 3 males and 5 larvae from L . shawii, 12 March 2020. Al Dawadmi, Ureeda , 7 females from L . shawii, 12 March 2020, 34 females, 3 males and 3 larvae from L. shawii , 13 March 2020, Najakh , 1 female and 1 male from Zilla spinosa , 1 female from Ricinus communis , 13 March 2020. Afif, Khazara, Hamoud Farm , 2 females from L . shawii, 14 March 2020. Rumah, Hafr Al Atk, Rawdat Tinhat , 9 females from L . shawii, 20 January 2020. Al Quwaiiyah, Al Khasrah, Wadi Nadiyan , 31 females and 2 larvae from L . shawii, 14 March 2020. Zulfi, Rashid Farm , 1 female from Raphanus caudatus , 27 March 2019 (Yousif N. Aldryhim and I. Rasool) .

Figures

Figures 46–51. Psilothrips bimaculatus (Priesner): (46) head and pronotum, (47) meso- and metasternum, (48) tergites V–VII, (49) male sternites III–IV, (50) female, (51) male.