Limothrips schmutziLimothrips schmutziFemale fully winged. Body brown, tarsi and antennal segment III yellowish; fore wings light brown. Antennae 8-segmented; segment III not asymmetric, III and IV each with sense cone forked. Head longer than wide, projecting in front of eyes; three pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III anterolateral to triangle, scarcely longer than distance between two ocelli, pairs I and II arising far forward close to antennal bases; maxillary palps 2-segmented. Pronotum with one pair of long posteroangular setae. Metanotum reticulate, campaniform sensilla present on anterior half of sclerite, median setae arise behind anterior margin. Fore wing first vein with 2 setae on distal half, second vein with about 8 setae. Abdominal tergites reticulate medially, with one pair of campaniform sensilla close to posterior margin; craspedum not developed; tergite IX with a pair of stout setae postero-laterally; tergite X with one pair of stout black thorn-like setae at posterior. Sternites II–VII with 5–10 discal setae, without craspeda.
Male apterous, without ocelli on head; tergite IX medially with pair of stout thorn-like setae on tubercles, posterolateral pair of setae also short and stout; sternites III–VII with small sub-circular pore plate.
Although eight species are listed in the genus Limothrips, no more than six of these are likely to be valid (zur Strassen, 2003). They all live on various grasses, and are distinguished from other grass-living Thripinae by the stout pair of thorn-like setae at the apex of the tenth abdominal segment. Although they are originally from Europe, three species are now widespread around the world. Unlike cerealium, both tergites IX and X of L. schmutzi bear stout setae.
Feeding and breeding on the leaves and in the flowers of grasses, and is particularly associated with species of Bromus [Poaceae].
Collected only three times in south-east England and not since 1952 (Mound et al., 1976), this species appears to be most common in south-eastern Europe, and has been found as far afield as Iran.
THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE
Limothrips schmutzi Priesner
Limothrips schmutzi Priesner, 1919: 33
Mound LA, Morison GD, Pitkin BR & Palmer JM (1976) Thysanoptera. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects 1 (11): 1–79.
zur Strassen R (2003) Die terebranten Thysanopteren Europas und des Mittelmeer-Gebietes. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 74: 1–271.
