Leptothrips opimus Johansen, 1987

Mound, Laurence & O’Donnell, Cheryle, 2017, Predation, phytophagy and character state confusion among North American species of the genus Leptothrips (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae), Zootaxa 4294 (3), pp. 301-315 : 311

Leptothrips opimus Johansen

Leptothrips opimus Johansen, 1987: 43 .

This species is based on a single female that is labelled “ Colorado, Allenspark, Pine, 1950”. The specimen is slidemounted in Clarite, and as a result it is crushed and distorted, with crumpled wings, and the sense cones eroded and faint. The pronotum has strong transverse striae at least on the anterior third, the mesonotum is transversely striate, the basal pores of four major sense cones are visible on antennal segment IV, but the head is too distorted to decide if the eyes are prolonged ventrally. Antennal segment II is asymmetric and presumably aberrant ( Fig. 6 ), and the specimen is possibly a deformed individual of heliomanes .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Leptothrips species of North America. (1) cassiae; (2) mali; (3) pini; (4) purpuratus; (5) occipitalis holotype; (6) opimus holotype, antennal segments I – III.