Print Fact SheetScolothrips longicornis

Distinguishing features

Female macropterous. Body colour yellow without grey markings; pronotal setae pale; antennal segments III–VIII largely yellow; fore wings pale with 2 small dark transverse bands of which the sub-basal band extends to the anterior margin of the wing; clavus also dark. Antennae 8-segmented, III & IV each with long forked sense cone. Head wider than long, without sculpture between ocelli; 3 pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III very long and arising on anterior margins of ocellar triangle; postocular setae small, pair I close together behind hind ocelli. Pronotum with 6 pairs of very long setae; without paired postero-median discal setae. Metanotum with weak reticulate sculpture, campaniform sensilla absent, median setae arising at anterior margin. Meso- and metafurca with spinula. Fore wing first and second veins each with about 5–7 long setae; clavus with only 3 veinal setae, sub-terminal longer than terminal. Tergites with no sculpture medially, VIII without posteromarginal comb, X with no median longitudinal split. Sternites without discal setae, setae S1 on sternite VII arising in front of margin.

Related species

This is an essentially Old World genus in which 14 species are currently recognised (ThripsWiki, 2018). However, S. longicornis cannot at present be distiguished satisfactorily from either dilongicornis from China or takahashii from Taiwan. Females identified as this species from California cannot be distinguished from females of longicornis from Europe, but the males from California are macropterous, whereas available males from Europe are all hemimacropterous (Mound, 2011).

Biological data

Breeding on leaves, and predatory on Tetranychid mites.

Distribution data

Presumably originally from somewhere in the Old World, and widespread across Europe to Israel and Egypt. Presumably introduced to California.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Scolothrips longicornis Priesner

Original name and synonyms

Scolothrips longicornis Priesner, 1926: 239

References

Mound LA (2011) Species recognition in the genus Scolothrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), predators of leaf-feeding mites. Zootaxa 2797: 45–53.