Print Fact SheetLiothrips corni

Distinguishing features

This species has not been studied by the present authors. It is known only from the original description based on long and short-winged adults of both sexes from Cornus californicus in Santa Clara County. According to the key provided by Cott (1956: 44) L. corni has black tarsi.

Related species

With almost 280 described species, Liothrips is one of the three largest genera of Thysanoptera. However, in comparison to both Thrips and Haplothrips it involves far greater problems for species recognition and systematics. A particularly high proportion of the described species are known from single samples, or even single individuals, resulting in little knowledge of host relationships or of structural variation within and between species. The general assumption that most members of the genus are host-specific requires validation. Stannard (1957) listed 32 species of Liothrips from North America, and subsequently (Stannard, 1968) included 14 of these in his keys to the Illinois fauna. Cott (1956) treated 11 species from California, including two that he placed in Rhynchothrips, but currently from this State there are 13 Liothrips species listed (Hoddle et al., 2004) of which several cannot at present be recognized.

Biological data

Presumably breeding on leaves, and described from both sexes taken from Cornus californicus [Cornaceae].

Distribution data

Recorded only from California.

Family name

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, PHLAEOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Liothrips corni Moulton

Original name and synonyms

Liothrips corni Moulton, 1926: 124

References

Cott HE (1956) Systematics of the suborder Tubulifera (Thysanoptera) in California. University of California, Berkeley, Publications in Entomology 13: 1–216.

Hoddle M, Mound LA & Nakahara S (2004) Thysanoptera recorded from California, USA: a checklist. Florida Entomologist 87: 317–323.

Stannard LJ (1957) The phylogeny and classification of the North American genera of the sub-order Tubulifera (Thysanoptera). Illinois Biological Monographs 25: 1–200.

Stannard LJ (1968) The Thrips, or Thysanoptera, of Illinois. Bulletin of the Illinois Natural History Survey 29: 213–552.