Distinguishing features

This species has not been studied by the present authors. It is one of the species in the genus Heterothrips that has small lobes laterally on the posterior margin of the abdominal tergites, each of these lobes bearing a prominent fringe of microtrichia, as in H. pectinifer (Mound & Marullo, 1996: 59). In contrast, H. vitis Hood, a species more common in the eastern States, has the microtrichia arising directly from the margins of the tergites not from separate lobes.

Related species

More than 75 species are currently listed in Heterothrips, and these are found widely between New York and Argentina. These species are likely to demonstrate a high level of host specificity, but good field data has yet to be collected. The family Heterothripidae includes only four genera, all from the Americas.

Biological data

Flower-living, and reported to be associated with Vitis spp. [Vitaceae].

Distribution data

Known only from California.

Family name

HETEROTHRIPIDAE

Species name

Heterothrips vitifloridus Bailey & Cott 

Original name and synonyms

Heterothrips vitifloridus Bailey & Cott, 1954: 616

References

Bailey SF & Cott HE (1954) A review of the genus Heterothrips Hood (Thysanoptera: Heterothripidae) in North America, with descriptions of two new species. Annals of the entomological Society of America 47: 614–635.

Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.