Caliothrips helini (Hood)

Rasool, Iftekhar, Alattal, Yehya Zaki & Aldhafer, Hathal M., 2023, Faunistic inventory, identification keys and zoogeographical analysis of the Thysanoptera-Terebrantia of Saudi Arabia, including two new species, Zootaxa 5306 (2), pp. 151-200 : 164

Caliothrips helini (Hood)

Hercothrips helini Hood, 1940: 35

An Afrotropical species, described from South Africa, is widespread from Botswana, Madagascar to Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Yemen ( Hood 1940; zur Strassen 1990), and is new to Saudi Arabia. It breeds on leaves of Acalypha fruticosa (Euphorbiaceae) . Most of the species in Caliothrips have reticles of different shapes occurring laterally on tergites ( Mound & Infante 2017). This species C. helini is characterized with oblique and transverse striae on lateral thirds of abdominal tergites without internal markings. It is distinct from other species of Caliothrips by distinctly convex genae and irregular shapes of sculpture near posterior margin, in contrast to parallel genae and uniform shapes of reticles in most species. However, helini is very similar to another African species, oneillae , the two can be separated by characters given in the key.

Material studied: Al Baha. Thee Ain Village , 23 females, two males, three larvae from Acalypha fruticosa , 7.IV.2019, 15 females, eight males from Acalypha fruticosa , 25.IX.2020, ( BT), Rasool, I .