Leptothrips oribatesLeptothrips oribatesAlthough generally similar is colour and structure to members of the mali-group, this species has almost no sculpture lines medially on the pronotum, and the metanotal striae are less closely spaced than in mali and its relatives.
The genus Leptothrips is related to Haplothrips, but the metanotal sculpture is closely striate not reticulate, and larvae and adults usually have extensive purple internal pigment. Currently, 30 species are listed under Leptothrips, all from the Americas. Johansen (1987) described 22 new species in the genus, with 11 Leptothrips recorded from California. However, Mound & O'Donnell (2017) placed nine species into synonymy and recognised only 15 Leptothrips species from North America of which nine are reported from California.
Presumably predatory on small arthropods, and collected from the leaves of both Pinus and Quercus (Johansen, 1987: 55). The synonym brevicapitis was collected from Pinus species including Pinus ponderosa.
Recorded from California, Oregon, Arizona, Mexico, Colorado and New Mexico.
PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, PHLAEOTHRIPINAE
Leptothrips oribates Hood
Leptothrips oribates Hood, 1939: 205
Leptothrips oregonensis Hood, 1939: 213
Leptothrips brevicapitis Johansen, 1987: 52
Johansen RM (1987) El genero Leptothrips Hood, 1909 (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) en el continente Americano: su sistematica, filogenia, biogeografia, biologia, conducta y ecologia. Monografias del Instituto de Biologia. Universidad Nacional de Mexico 3: 1–246.
Mound LA & O’Donnell CA (2017) Predation, phytophagy and character state confusion among North American species of the genus Leptothrips (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae). Zootaxa 4294 (3): 301-315.
