Liothrips mcconelli Crawford

Mound, Laurence & O’Donnell, Cheryle, 2017, Predation, phytophagy and character state confusion among North American species of the genus Leptothrips (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae), Zootaxa 4294 (3), pp. 301-315 : 311

Liothrips mcconelli Crawford DL

Liothrips mcconelli Crawford DL, 1910: 163.

Leptothrips primigenus Johansen, 1987: 72 . Syn. n.

Although at one time placed as a synonym of mali , the presence of only three major sense cones (sensilla basiconica) on the fourth antennal segment distinguishes this species. It was collected and described by Crawford from four females and four males taken in Guadalajara, Mexico. From these specimens Johansen (1987) designated a female lectotype (in California Academy of Sciences), and listed many specimens of the species from Mexico and also a few in USA from Utah, Idaho and California . He then described primigenus from a single female taken at Yosemite, California, distinguishing it because antennal segment IV of the holotype lacks a small ancillary sense cone (= sensillum coeloconicum) on the external surface. This five micron long ancillary sense cone is present on most of the 150 specimens (in ERMR) that are here identified as mcconelli , although it is certainly absent on both antennae of a few of them, and mcconelli is here interpreted as a common species in California . It is distinguished from larreae by the presence of a sense cone on antennal segment III, and the greater length, 130 microns, of antennal segments III+IV, and distinguished from mali by the presence on segment IV of three not four major sense cones (sensilla basiconica). However, the number of fore wing duplicated cilia is variable amongst the specimens examined. For example, in a series of 14 individuals taken from Sycamore at Riverside (30.vi.1958) the number varies from 0 to 7, two of these specimens have no duplicated cilia on either wing, and one male has antennal segment IV with four sense cones. As indicated above, character state variation amongst the five species, heliomanes , larreae , mali , mcconelli and papago is very confusing, with the occasional individual intermediate in structure between two or more of these. Specimens identified as mcconelli have been studied from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, and Utah from various plants, particularly tree species in the genera Acer , Alnus , Fraxinus , Prunus , and Quercus .