Leptothrips fasciculatus

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 : 307

Leptothrips fasciculatus (Crawford DL)

Phyllothrips fasciculata Crawford DL, 1909: 105.

Phyllothrips fasciculata var. stenoceps Crawford DL, 1909: 108. Anthothrips nigricornis Jones, 1912: 17 .

Haplothrips jonesi Karny, 1912: 344 . Replacement name for nigricornis Jones , a homonym of nigricornis Bagnall, 1910 . Leptothrips russelli Morgan, 1913: 39 .

Described from both sexes on Eriogonum fasciculatum [ Polygonaceae ] at Claremont, California, this species is known to breed in the flowers of this plant with no evidence that it is predatory ( Wiesenborn 2012). Specimens have also been studied from Nevada and Arizona. Despite sharing with purpuratus the presence of a fore tarsal tooth and the absence of duplicated wing cilia, the pronotum of fasciculatus has no prominent sculpture lines but has well-developed mid-lateral setae ( Fig. 22 ). Moreover, the sculpture lines on the mesonotum are not closely spaced, but form an almost reticulate pattern ( Fig. 28 ). The fore tarsal tooth of males is considerably larger than that of females.

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 24. Leptothrips species of North America – pronotum. (17) maliaffinis holotype; (18) mali; (19) papago; (20) heliomanes; (21) macroocellatus; (22) fasciculatus; (23) pini; (24) purpuratus.

FIGURES 25 – 30. Leptothrips species of North America—metanotum. (25) mali; (26) papago; (27) purpuratus; (28) fasciculatus; (29) oribates (brevicapitis holotype); (30) occipitalis holotype.