Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Female brown, including legs but fore tarsi and apex of fore tibiae paler; antennal segment III and base of IV clear yellow; fore wing with 2 transverse dark bands broadly coalescent along hind margin. Head with postocular region as long as eye length; maxillary palp 3-segmented. Antennae 9-segmented; segment III long and slender with linear sensorium scarcely 0.3 as long as segment, IV with sensorium almost 0.5 as long as segment and curved distally, without internal markings. Mesonotum with no accessory setae medially. Metanotal reticles without internal markings. Abdominal tergite I with faint transverse lines anteromedially; trichobothria on X no larger than base of major setae on X. Sternites with 4 pairs of marginal setae, discal setae not developed; sternite VII accessory setae arising well in front of margin.
Male with paired tubercles on tergites IV–V; tergite IX with claspers non-bifurcate.

Related species

This species is similar in structure to A. fasciatus but with a dark marking along the posterior margin of the fore wing. The genus Aeolothrips is essentially Holarctic, and currently includes about 105 species. The only species recorded from the Neotropics, A. fasciatipennis from Chile, is probably the same as A. fasciatus.

Biological data

Apparently predatory on mites on the leaves of forest trees. In Europe this species is found on various trees including Quercus (Fagaceae) and Fraxinus (Oleaceae)) and in Sambucus flowers, where it is probably predatory on mites and other thrips species. Collected from Sparmannia africana in New Zealand.

Distribution data

Described from Europe, this species was collected in New Zealand in an Auckland garden in December 1978 and 1979. It is widespread across the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, Canada, and northern USA. Males are referred to by Schliephake & Klimt (1979), presumably from central Europe, but have not been recorded from Britain (Mound et al., 1976) or North America (Stannard, 1968).

Family name

AEOLOTHRIPIDAE

Species name

Aeolothrips melaleucus (Haliday)

Original name and synonyms

Coleothrips melaleuca Haliday, 1852: 1117
Aeolothrips fasciatus var. conjunctus Priesner, 1914: 259
Aeolothrips annectans Hood, 1916: 109.
Aeolothrips conjunctus f. adustus Priesner, 1920: 51.
Aeolothrips concinus Ishida, 1931: 32.
Aeolothrips uzeli Bagnall, 1934: 482.

References

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

Mound LA & Walker AK (1982) Terebrantia (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Fauna of New Zealand 1: 1–113.

Schliephake G, & Klimt K (1979) Thysanoptera, Fransenflügler, in: Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 66 Teil, G.Fischer Verlag, Jena. 1-477.

zur Strassen R (2003) Die terebranten Thysanopteren Europas und des Mittelmeer-Gebietes. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 74: 1–271.