Ceratothripoides cameroni (Priesner)

Mound, Laurence A. & Nickle, David A., 2009, The Old-World genus Ceratothripoides (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) with a new genus for related New-World species, Zootaxa 2230, pp. 57-63 : 59

Ceratothripoides cameroni (Priesner)

Taeniothrips cameroni Priesner, 1934: 28

Bhatti (1990) indicated that C. cameroni has antennal segment V yellow or shaded and legs yellow, whereas C. claratris has antennal V brown, and legs extensively brown. This statement concerning C. cameroni is true for the original specimens from Sudan, but other specimens collected subsequently from that country have the antennae variable in colour, even with segments IV–V light brown, and legs have extensive light brown shadings. Specimens examined from Senegal (in BMNH) are similar to these, and are thus slightly darker than the type specimens from Sudan. Specimens from Nigeria and Saudi Arabia (in BMNH) have rather darker hind femora, and antennal segment V is also brown. In contrast, all available specimens from India and Thailand have brown hind femora and brown antennal segment V, and these are identified as C. claratris . Whether these slight differences in colour represent two distinct species, or whether they are symptoms of intraspecific variation, as suggested by zur Strassen (1975), remains unclear. The palest specimens, those that would be associated with the name C. cameroni , appear to come from the more arid areas, whereas the darker specimens, that would be associated with the name C. claratris , come generally from more humid areas. As indicated below, the two names are here retained because C. claratris is used for a form that is of economic significance, but the biological reality of these two colour forms requires further field studies.