Franklinothrips megalops Trybom, 1912 : 147

Mound, Laurence A. & Reynaud, Philippe, 2005, Franklinothrips; a pantropical Thysanoptera genus of ant­mimicking obligate predators (Aeolothripidae), Zootaxa 864, pp. 1-16 : 11

Franklinothrips megalops Trybom, 1912: 147

Described originally from Kenya in the synonymic genus Mitothrips , the following three species are considered synonymous: F. a u re u s Moulton from South Africa, F. bischoffi Richter from Tanzania, and F. myrmicaeformis Zanon from Libya ( Pitkin & Mound, 1973; zur Strassen, 2003). This insect was observed commonly on trees in the gardens of the National Museum, Nairobi during August 1986. The females were not immediately recognised as Thysanoptera but, due to their behaviour, were considered initially to be bethylid wasps. They were noted to run actively, between periods of palpating the leaf surface with their antennae. The species is widespread in Africa, and specimens [SMF, BMNH] have been seen from the following countries: Spain, Israel, Palestine, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Transvaal, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Nigeria and southern India . As noted below, F. m e g a l o p s appears to be part of a cline across the Old World tropics that includes F. r a ro s a e in the Philippines and F. variegatus in Australia, and the variation amongst museum specimens in the relationship of the head to the pronotum ( Fig. 9 ) is mentioned below under F. variegatus .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 11. Franklinothrips species: (1) F. vespiformis female; (2) F. vespiformis larva; (3) F. a tla s, female holotype; (4) F. basseti, female holotype; (5) F. brunneicornis, female holotype; (6) F. lineatus, topotypic female; (7) F. lineatus, topotypic male; (8) F. fulgidus, female holotype; (9) F. m e g a l o p s, female from India; (10) F. o r i z a b e n s i s, female from California; (11) F. o r i z a b e n s i s, male from California.