Liothrips eremicusLiothrips eremicusType material of this species has not been studied by the present authors. It was described from about 20 adults of both sexes taken in Mono County and also in Nevada. It is included in the present system on the basis of two specimens from Quercus identified by W. Ewart.
Judging from two specimens in the Ewart Collection identified as L. eremicus , this species has the antennae more extensively yellow than related species in California. The fore wing color is similar to that of L. dumosus, considerably lighter than in L. ilex, but the pronotal major setae are black and broadly blunt at the apex, in contrast to the form of the setae in these other two species. Currently, there are almost 280 species listed in the genus Liothrips, although 30 of these are placed in two sub-genera known only from Asia. As a result, this is larger than either Thrips or Haplothrips, these three being the largest genera of Thysanoptera. However, in comparison to both Thrips and Haplothrips there are far greater problems in Liothrips in species recognition. A particularly high proportion of the described species are known from single samples, or even single individuals, resulting in little knowledge of variation within and between species, and thus the general assumption that most members of the genus are host-specific requires extensive testing. 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 (1957) treated 11 species from California, two of which 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.
Presumably feeding and breeding on leaf tissues, and possibly specific to Pinus cembroides [Pinaceae] (Cott, 1956: 62).
Recorded from California, and Nevada.
PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, PHLAEOTHRIPINAE
Liothrips eremicus Cott, 1956: 60
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.
