Scirtothrips aceriScirtothrips aceriBoth sexes fully winged. Body mainly yellow with shaded markings medially on head and laterally on tergites; tergal antecostal ridges weakly shaded medially; antennal segment II darker than I, segments III–VIII light brown; fore wings shaded. Antennae 8-segmented; III & IV each with a forked sense cone. Head wider than long; ocellar triangle without sculpture, postocular region with transverse striae; 3 pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III close together behind fore ocellus. Pronotum with widely spaced sculpture lines; posterior margin with 4 pairs of setae. Metanotum with irregular longitudinal reticulation; median setae close to anterior margin; no campaniform sensilla. Fore wing first vein with about 6 irregularly spaced setae on distal half, second vein with 5 widely spaced setae; posteromarginal cilia wavy. Abdominal tergites III–V median setae very small, about twice as long as the diameter of their basal pores; II–VIII with lateral thirds covered in closely spaced rows of fine microtrichia, these microtrichial fields with three discal setae, posterior margin with fine comb; tergite VIII comb complete, no discal microtrichia medially; tergite IX with no discal microtrichia. Sternites without discal setae; microtrichial rows only present laterally, not extending mesad of setae S2; posterior margins without comb of microtrichia.
Male smaller than female; tergite IX with paired drepanae; hind femora without comb-like row of stout setae; sternites without pore plates.
The genus Scirtothrips currently includes 100 listed species from various parts of the world. Bailey (1964) provided keys to 13 from North America, but that work was based on specimens that were not fully cleared, and thus few structural details were available concerning differences between species. The identity and validity of certain of the species from California requires further study based on freshly mounted, fully cleared specimens. Similarly, Johansen & Mojica-Guzman (1999) provided keys to 37 species from Mexico, but Hoddle et al. (2008) recognised five of these as synonyms of S. perseae, and Mound & Hoddle (2016) placed a further 15 as synonyms of S. citri. Rugman-Jones et al. (2006) produced a molecular key to several pest species in this genus.
Breeding on the leaves of Quercus sp. [Fagaceae].
Recorded only from the coastal region of California (Bailey, 1964: 338).
THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE
Scirtothrips aceri Moulton
Scirtothrips aceri Moulton, 1926: 122.
Bailey SF (1964) A revision of the genus Scirtothrips Shull (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Hilgardia 35: 329–362.
Johansen RM, Mojica-Guzman A (1999) The genus Scirtothrips Shull, 1909 (Thysanoptera: Thripidae, Sericothripini), in Mexico. Folia Entomologica Mexicana 104: 23–108.
Hoddle MS, Mound LA, Rugman-Jones PF & Stouthamer R (2008) Synonomy of five Scirtothrips species (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) described from Avocados (Persea americana) in Mexico. Florida Entomologist 91: 16–21.
Mound L & Hoddle M (2016) Scirtothrips species (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) described from mango, Mangifera indica, in Mexico. Florida Entomologist 99 (4):759–764.
Rugman Jones PF, Hoddle MS, Mound LA, & Stouthamer R (2006) Molecular identification key for pest species of Scirtothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 99: 1813–1819.
