Distinguishing features

Female fully winged, varying considerably in body size. Body, antennae and legs brown, tarsi paler, fore wings light brown. Antennae 8-segmented; segment II asymmetric with prolonged external margin bearing terminal seta-like sensorium; segments III & IV with sense cone simple and stout. Head small, prolonged in front of eyes with long preocellar area; 3 pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III anterolateral to fore ocellus. 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. Fore wings 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 effectively wingless, wing lobe minute; no ocelli; sternites III–VII with small circular pore plate.

Related species

Currently there are 42 species worldwide placed in the genus Chirothrips, and Nakahara & Foottit (2012) provided an account of the species from the Americas. The genus was treated in a much broader sense by zur Strassen (1960), whereas Bhatti (1990) created six new genera for several species. In particular, Arorathrips was erected for a group of New World species that have the mesothoracic endofurca reduced.

Biological data

Breeding and pupating within individual florets of various Poaceae species including cereal crops, with no recorded specificity; probably also in the flowers of some Cyperaceae. Sometimes associated with reduction of yeild in Poaceae grown for seed production.

Distribution data

Originally from Europe, but now 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.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species 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

References

Bhatti JS (1990) On some genera related to Chirothrips (Insecta: Terebrantia: Thripidae). Zoology (Journal of Pure and Applied Zoology) 2: 193–200.

Nakahara S & Foottit RG (2012) Review of Chirothrips and related genera (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) of the Americas, with one new genus and four new species. Zootaxa 3251: 1–29.

zur Strassen R (1960) Key to and catalogue of the known species of Chirothrips Haliday, 1836 (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Journal of the entomological Society of southern Africa 23: 144–176.

Thysanoptera Californica