Chirothrips aculeatus Bagnall

Minaei, Kambiz & Mound, Laurence, 2010, Grass-flower thrips of the genus Chirothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), with a key to species from Iran, Zootaxa 2411, pp. 33-43 : 39

Chirothrips aculeatus Bagnall

Chirothrips aculeatus Bagnall, 1927a: 567 . Pezothrips (?) pedestris Karny, 1910: 55

The name aculeatus is well established in the literature, including the recent keys to European species (zur Strassen, 2003a). Moreover, the ISI Web of Knowledge refers to 37 usages of this name by various authors. In contrast, this web resource refers to the name pedestris once only, this being when zur Strassen (1975) indicated that the unique male specimen on which it was based was the same species as aculeatus . However, zur Strassen (1975) indicated that as an old, dis-used, name pedestris should be set aside, in accord with the clear recommendation given in the Code of Zoological Nomenclature concerning the treatment of dis-used names. In contrast, Bhatti et al. (2009) chose to use the older name, despite this action being contrary to the spirit of the Code in maintaining nomenclatural stability. Richard zur Strassen (pers. comm. 2009) has stated that he did not see a draft of the 2009 paper to which his name was attached, and the reversed synonymy adopted in that paper is therefore rejected here with his approval.

Diagnosis: Body colour brown, tarsi yellow, forewing and clavus shaded. Head distinctly produced in front of eyes; vertex with two pairs of setae, ocellar setae lateral to fore ocellus ( Fig. 2 ). Antennal segment I with strong transverse ridge dorsally; segment II with apex of prolongation rounded, with sub-terminal small seta; sensoria on segment III simple and slender, on IV forked and slender with inner branch of fork at broadly oblique angle to outer branch. Tergal campaniform sensilla anterior to median setae; posterior margins of tergites II–VIII with small rounded and independent craspedate lobes not forming continuous craspedum (Fig. 21); sternites II–VI posterior margins with small tubercles. Male apterous, smaller than female.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6 Chirothrips species. (1) adults emerged from pupae within grass seeds. Chirothrips heads 2 – 6: (2) aculeatus; (3) africanus; (4) ah; (5) atricorpus; (6) meridionalis.