Chirothrips manicatus
Recognition data
Distinguishing features
Female fully winged, male effectively wingless with wing lobe minute. Body, antennae and legs brown, tarsi paler, forewings light brown. Head small, prolonged in front of eyes with long preocellar area; 3 pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III anterolateral to fore ocellus. Antennae 8-segmented; segment II asymmetric with prolonged external margin bearing terminal seta-like sensorium; segments III � IV with sensorium simple and stout. Pronotum trapezoidal, 2 pairs of prominent posteroangular setae. Metanotum reticulate, sculpture forming arches around posterior midpoint; median setae not at anterior margin, smaller than lateral pair. Forewings pointed; first vein distal half with 2 setae, second vein with 4 setae. Abdominal tergites with transverse sculpture lines medially; posteromarginal craspedum with weak lobes; ovipositor weak with faint teeth. Posterior margin of sternites with distinctive tubercles. Male with no ocelli; sternites III-VII with small circular glandular area.
Variation
Females varying considerably in body size, presumably depending on the size of the individual grass floret within which a larva develops.
Related and similar species
Currently there are 50 species worldwide placed in the genus Chirothrips. The key to species provided by zur Strassen (1960) treated the genus in a broad sense, whereas Bhatti (1990) created six new genera for these species, including Arorathrips for several species from theNew World that have the mesothoracic endofurca reduced.
Taxonomic data
Current valid name
Chirothrips manicatus Haliday
Original name and synonyms
Thrips (Chirothrips) manicatus Haliday, 1836: 444
Thrips longipennis Burmeister, 1838: 413
Chirothrips antennatus Osborn, 1883: 154
Chirothrips fusca Coesfeld, 1898: 470
Chirothrips similis Bagnall, 1909: 35
Chirothrips albicornis Priesner, 1926: 140
Chirothrips ammophilae Bagnall, 1927: 564
Chirothrips takahashii Moulton, 1928: 289
Chirothrips productus Bagnall, 1932: 184
Chirothrips laingi Bagnall, 1932: 185
Chirothrips ambulans Bagnall, 1932: 185
Chirothrips testacea Hukkinen, 1935: 90
Chirothrips bagnalli Hood, 1938: 162
Chirothrips longisetis Priesner, 1949: 170
Family placement
Thripidae, Thripinae
Biological data
Life history
Breeding and pupating within individual florets of Poaceae.
Host plants
Various Poaceae species including cereal crops, with no recorded specificity; probably also in the flowers of some Cyperaceae.
Tospoviruses vectored
None
Crop damage
Possibly reducing seed set in crops of Poaceae grown for seed.
Distribution data
Area of origin
Europe
Distribution
Widespread around the world in temperate areas, presumably because each pupa remains within the floret of a grass and these pupae are then distributed in grass seeds.
