Aeolothrips ericae Bagnall, 1920

Alavi, Jalil, Awal, Mehdi Modarres, Fekrat, Lida, Minaei, Kambiz & Manzari, Shahab, 2016, One new species and two new records of the genus Aeolothrips from Iran (Insecta, Thysanoptera, Aeolothripidae), ZooKeys 557, pp. 111-120 : 113-114

Taxon classification Animalia Thysanoptera Aeolothripidae

Aeolothrips ericae Bagnall, 1920 Figs 9-18

Note.

Described from England on flowers of Erica tetralix , this species is widespread across western Eurasia, and introduced to North America ( zur Strassen 2003, Hoddle et al. 2015). It is usually found on flowering Ericaceae ( Erica and Calluna ) but also on various Fabaceae ( zur Strassen 2003, Hoddle et al. 2015). This is the first record of this species from Iran.

Material examined.

IRAN, Khorasan-e shomali province, all collected by J. Alavi: 1 female, Bojnourd, Oter-abad village, from flowering Paliurus spina-christi ( Rhamnaceae ), 12 May 2014; 1 female, Ashkhaneh, Biyar falls, from flowering Glycyrrhiza glabra ( Fabaceae ), 30 May 2014; 1 female, same location and date, from flowering Conium maculatum ( Apiaceae ). 4 females, Ashkhaneh, Darkesh village, from flowering Rorippa officinale ( Brassicaceae ), 30 May 2014; 2 females, same location and date, from flowering Paliurus spina-christi ; 1 female, Ashkhaneh, Hawer village, from flowering Cornus sanguinea ( Cornaceae ), 30 May 20; 3 females, same location and date, from flowering Melilotus officinalis ( Fabaceae ). GERMANY, 1 female, Baden-Württemberg, Reichenbach, from herbs and grasses, 1 June 2012, collected by M. Ulitzaka. NORWAY, all collected by S. Kobro: 1 female and 1 male, Haoya, from Lathyrus pratensis ( Fabaceae ), 29 June 1996; 1 female, Aurland, from Galium verum ( Rubiaceae ), 30 June 1998; 1 female, Aurland, from Lathyrus pratensis , 30 June 1998; 1 female, Fagerstrand, from Lathyrus pratensis , 5 July 1998; 1 male, Eidfjord, from Lotus corniculatus ( Fabaceae ), 31 May 1999; 1 female, Steigen, from Vicia cracca ( Fabaceae ), 14 July 1999; 1 male, Horten, from Vicia cracca , 2 July 1999.

Diagnosis.

Female distinctly bicolored, generally brown with abdominal segment II and/or III yellow to yellowish brown (Fig. 9), sometimes (in European specimens) all abdominal segments uniformly brown (Fig. 10), segment X orange-yellow, much paler than VIII–IX (Figs 9-10); Antennal segment I greyish yellow, II–III yellow, III brown in distal one third (Fig. 11). Pronotum with about 40 discal setae (Fig. 12). Fore wings with two separate long brown cross bands, 2-3 times as long as intervening white area (Fig. 13). Abdominal tergite I without campaniform sensilla (Fig. 14).

Males paler and smaller than females (Fig. 15-16). Middle coxae with stridulatory structure (Fig. 17). Abdominal tergites III–VIII with dorsal tubercles. Segment IX with bifurcate claspers and sickle–shaped setae laterally (Fig. 18).

Remarks.

The bicolored body pattern in some specimens of Aeolothrips ericae makes the species resemble only Aeolothrips albicinctus Haliday, but it is distinguished from that ant-mimic species by its well-developed wings (versus usually short wings) and shorter and stouter antenna. Moreover, males of Aeolothrips ericae with bifurcate claspers are readily distinguishable from Aeolothrips albicinctus males. The male of Aeolothrips ericae is also similar in color and structure to Aeolothrips collaris , but it is distinguished from the latter by having distinctly longer cross-bands on fore wings and also shorter distance of median setae S1from each other.