Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Body, legs and antennae brown to dark brown, antennal segments III–V variably yellow at base; fore wings weakly shaded. Antennae 8-segmented, but VIII broadly joined to VII; segment III with 3 sense cones, IV with 4 sense cones. Head as long as wide, cheeks rounded without prominent setae, inter-antennal projection up to 1.5 times as wide as width of antennal segment I; postocular setae blunt, arising well behind eyes; maxillary stylets unusually broad, retracted to eyes, close together medially. Pronotum without sculpture medially; with 5 pairs of capitate major setae, anteromarginal setae smaller than epimerals; prosternal basantra not present, mesopresternum transverse. Fore tarsal tooth well developed. Metanotum without sculpture medially. Fore wing parallel sided, with about 10 duplicated cilia. Abdominal tergites II–VII with two pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae, but anterior pair weak on each tergite, marginal setae long and pointed; tergite IX setae S1 pointed, shorter than tube.
Male with sternites IV–VII with transverse band of reticulation anterior to discal setae; tergite IX setae S2 as long as S1.

Related species

This is the only species of Holothrips known from Europe; the other 140 species in this genus are found widely in tropical and subtropical areas (Okajima, 1987). Although considered a member of the Phlaeothripinae, the maxillary stylets are exceptionally broad compared to the other species of this subfamily.  

Biological data

Breeding mainly on dead branches, and presumably feeding on fungal hyphae

Distribution data

Recorded twice in Britain, a male at Box Hill in Surrey in 1954 (Mound et al., 1976: as Abiastothrips schaubergeri), and a female at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, in 1983 (Collins, 2021b). On the continent this species is recorded widely from Norway southwards through Central and Eastern Europe.

Family name

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE - PHLAEOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Holothrips schaubergeri (Priesner)

Original name and synonyms

Trichothrips schaubergeri Priesner, 1920: 86
Cratothrips priesneri Bagnall, 1933: 658
Bolothrips lativerticis Post, 1961: 141

References

Collins DW (2021b) Noteworthy recent records of Thysanoptera (Aeolothripidae, Melanthripidae and Phlaeothripidae) in Great Britain. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 34: 207–220.

Mound LA, Morison GD, Pitkin BR & Palmer JM (1976) Thysanoptera. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects 1 (11): 1–79.

Okajima S (1987) Studies on the old world species of Holothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology 54: 1–74.