Franklinothrips vespiformis (Crawford, D. L.)

Masumoto, Masami & Okajima, Shûji, 2019, Review of the Aeolothripidae (Thysanoptera) in Japan, Zootaxa 4564 (2), pp. 301-326 : 324

Franklinothrips vespiformis (Crawford, D. L.)

( Figs 13–14 , 24 )

Aeolothrips vespiformis Crawford, D.L., 1909: 109 .

Diagnosis. Female macroptera. Body bicoloured, abdominal segments I–II largely pale but dark along antecostal line of tergites ( Fig. 13 ); antennal segments I–III yellow, IV–IX dark brown; fore wing dark with subbasal and median pale areas, dark about distal half, two dark areas connected posterior narrow dark band, extreme base and clavus dark; all legs dark brown ( Fig. 24 ). Head strongly arched at cheeks, smooth dorsally. Antennal segment III– IV with sinuous sensoria. Fore wing microtrichia large at subbasal area on first and second veins and veinal fork.

Male macroptera. Body largely dark, abdomen slightly paler ( Fig. 14 ); antennal segments dark, segments III– IV pale paler; fore wing extreme apex pale but apical ring vein shaded; all legs dark. Head straight at cheeks, sculptured with transverse striae. Antennal segments III–IV with wide sinuous sensoria dorsally.

Specimens studied. JAPAN: Ryukyus, Okinawa-hontou Is.: Chinen-son, Chinen, 1 female on leaves of Cucumis melo [ Cucurbitaceae ], 20.vi.1996, N. Arakaki (TUA). Naha City: 6 males reared, 24.xii.1997, N. Arakaki (TUA). 6 females on Ipomoea indica [ Convolvulaceae ], 1.xi.2014. Motobu-cho, Minna-jima Is., 1 female on Leucaena leucocephala [ Leguminosae ], 21.vi.2002. all K. Munoura (TUA). Urazoe City: 1 female on Ipomoea cairica , 7.xii.2003. 1 female on Bidens sp. [ Compositae ], 14.vii.2004. Tomigusuku City, 1 female on Ipomoea cairica , 5.v ..2014. all K. Minoura (TUA). Ogasawara Islands, Chichi-jima Is.: 1 male on fern, 14.v.2012, T. Sugimoto (TUA). 24 females & 2 males on Poaceae , 23.vi.2012, T. Sugimoto (TUA). 1 female on Scaevola sericea [ Goodeniaceae ], 7.vi.2011, K. Fujimoto (TUA).

Remarks. This species is originally from central America but is now widespread and pantropical ( Mound & Reynaud 2005), and was found in Japan for the first time in 1996 ( Arakaki & Okajima 1998). It is well known as a predator on other small arthropods such as thrips and white fly. Arakaki and Okajima (1998) reported two species of Tetranychus [ Tetranychidae ], larvae of Liriomyza trifolii [Agromyziidae] and nymphs of Aphis gossypii [ Aphididae ] as prey as a result of laboratory observations. Today, F. vespiformis is used as a biological pesticide against thrips such as Thrips palmi for vegetables in greenhouses of Japan ( Shimizu et al. 2004).

Figures

FIGURES 8–14. Aeolothripidae. A. setosus sp. n., 8–9: (8) Female; (9) Male. (10) Aeolothrips vittatus, female; (11) Desmidothrips japonicus sp. n., female; (12) Franklinothrips oblongus sp. n., female, (a: With KOH treatment; b: Without KOH treatment). F. vespiformis, 13–14: (13) Female; (14) Male.

FIGURES 15–24. Fore wings of Aeolothripidae, female. (15) Aeolothrips fasciatus; (16) A. fukushimensis sp. n.; (17) A. kurosawai; (18) A. luteolus; (19) A. melaleucus from Honshu; (20) A. setosus sp. n.; (21) A. vittatus; (22) Desmidothrips japonicus sp. n. (23) Franklinothrips oblongus sp. n.; (24) F. vespiformis.