Scirtothrips

Mound, Laurence A. & Stiller, Michael, 2011, Species of the genus Scirtothrips from Africa (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), Zootaxa 2786, pp. 51-61 : 52-53

Key to Scirtothrips species from Africa

*See note at end of key.

1. Abdominal sterna III–VI with several rows of prominent microtrichia present completely across median area, at least on posterior halves of these sterna ( Figs 3, 6 )...................................................................... 2

-. Abdominal sterna with rows of prominent microtrichia restricted to lateral areas, rarely extending just mesad of marginal setal pair S1 ( Fig. 14 )...................................................................................... 4

2. Fore wing posteromarginal cilia wavy; sterna IV–VI almost completely covered by microtrichia ( Fig. 3 ); tergum IX with few or no microtrichia posteromedially ( Fig. 2 ); ocellar setae III usually arising on tangent between anterior margins of hind ocelli ( Fig. 1 ); male with comb of six stout setae on hind femora (cf. Fig. 13 ); male tergite IX with paired dark drepanae....................................................................................................... aurantii

-. Fore wing posteromarginal cilia straight; sternal microtrichia restricted to posterior half of sterna IV–VI ( Fig. 6 ); tergum IX with many microtrichia posteromedially ( Fig. 5 ); ocellar setae III usually arising between hind ocelli ( Fig. 4 ); male without a comb of stout setae on hind femora; male tergite IX without drepanae........................................... 3

3. Abdominal terga with median area and antecostal ridge dark, lateral microtrichial fields with 3 discal setae..... aff. dorsalis

-. Abdominal terga with median area and antecostal ridge pale, lateral microtrichial fields with 4–5 discal setae (cf. Fig. 18 ).............................................................................................. oligochaetus

4. Fore wing posteromarginal cilia all straight................................................................ 5

-. Posteromarginal cilia of fore wing either all wavy, or at least those at median part of wing wavy...................... 7

5. Terga dark medially between lateral microtrichial fields; fore wings deeply shaded; pronotal posteromarginal setae S2 twice as long as S1 ( Fig. 19 ); tergal microtrichial fields with 3 discal setae........................................ kenyensis

-. Abdominal terga with no dark areas except antecostal ridge; fore wings pale; pronotal posteromarginal setae S2 less than 1.7 as long as S1; tergal microtrichial fields with 4–5 discal setae ( Fig. 18 )............................................ 6

6. Posteromarginal setae not longer than 0.3 as long as pronotum; ocellar setae III not longer than longitudinal width of an ocellus; male tergite IX with paired dark drepanae......................................................... fulleri

-. Posteromarginal setae S2 more than 0.5 as long as pronotum; ocellar setae III almost twice as long as longitudinal width of an ocellus; male tergite IX without drepanae............................................................. inermis

7. Pronotal posteromarginal setae pairs S2 and S3 more than 0.6 times as long as median length of pronotum ( Fig. 21 ) spinosus

-. Pronotum with no setae more than 0.4 as long as median length of pronotum.................................... 8*

8. Fore wing second vein with 5–13 setae (rarely as few as 4); tergum VIII with no microtrichia medially near anterior margin ( Fig. 7 )............................................................................................. 9

-. Fore wing second vein with 2–3 setae (rarely as many as 4); tergum VIII usually with a few rows of microtrichia medially near anterior margin ( Fig. 16 ).............................................................................. 10

9. Abdominal terga pale, antecostal ridge also pale; fore wing pale, second vein with 4–6 setae; metanotum with elongate reticulation ( Figs 9, 10 ).............................................................................. africanus

-. Abdominal terga light brown, antecostal ridge dark; fore wing shaded, second vein with 7–13 setae; metanotum almost striate medially ( Fig. 23 )............................................................................... zuluensis

10. Body mainly brown, fore wing uniformly deeply shaded.............................................. mugambii

-. Body largely yellow; fore wing pale or bicoloured......................................................... 11

11. Ocellar setae III arise on anterior margins of ocellar triangle ( Fig. 17 ); pronotal posteromarginal setae S2 about 0.4 as long as pronotum [body pale with anterior part of head brown, fore wings largely dark]........................... longipennis

-. Ocellar setae III arise within ocellar triangle ( Fig. 11 ), just anterior to tangent between anterior margins of posterior ocelli; no pronotal posteromarginal setae more than 0.3 as long as pronotum ( Fig. 11 )..................................... 12

12. Terga with median dark area; fore wing pale at apex but median third shaded, clavus dark; sterna with microtrichia extending slightly mesad of marginal setae S1................................................................ combreti

-. Terga pale with no median dark area; fore wing and clavus uniformly pale; sterna with microtrichia not extending mesad to setae S1 ( Fig. 14 ).................................................................................... 13

13. Terga with antecostal ridge dark, lateral microtrichial fields with 3 discal setae ( Fig. 15 ); tergum IX with no microtrichia present medially ( Fig. 16 ); male hind femora with comb of about 6 stout setae ( Fig. 13 ).................... dodonaeae sp. n.

-. Terga with antecostal ridge pale, lateral microtrichial fields with 4 discal setae ( Fig. 20 ); tergum IX with microtrichia present medially; male hind femora without comb of stout setae............................................. mangiferae

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Scirtothrips species. S. aurantii 1 – 3: (1) Head & pronotum; (2) Terga VII – IX; (3) Sterna V – VII. S. dorsalis 4 – 6: (4) Head & pronotum; (5) Terga VII – IX; (6) Sterna V – VII. S. africanus 7 – 10: (7) Terga VI – IX; (8) Head; (9) Metanotum (of paratype); (10) Metanotum.

FIGURES 11 – 16. Scirtothrips dodonaeae. (11) Head; (12) Meso and metanota; (13) Male hind femur; (14) Female sterna VI – VII; (15) Terga IV – V; (16) Terga VII – IX.

FIGURES 17 – 23. Scirtothrips species. (17) S. longipennis, head and pronotum. (18) S. inermis, terga V – VI. (19) S. kenyensis, pro, meso and metanota. (20) S. mangiferae, terga IV – VI. (21) S. spinosus, head and pronotum. (22) S. spinosus, metanotum. (23) S. zuluensis, meso and metanota.