Chirothrips meridionalis 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 : 41

Chirothrips meridionalis Bagnall

Chirothrips meridionalis Bagnall, 1927a: 566

Described originally from southern France, this species is listed by zur Strassen (2003a) from the following areas: Mediterranean Region, Yemen, Iran, Pakistan, India, South Africa, Nigeria, Madeira, Canary Islands. Bhatti et al. (2009) provide references to records from Iran.

Diagnosis: Body colour brown, tarsi yellow, forewing and clavus weakly shaded. Head weakly produced in front of eyes ( Fig. 6 ); vertex with two pairs of setae, ocellar setae lateral to fore ocellus. Antennal segment II external margin almost straight, apex acute with sub-terminal seta; sensorium on segment III simple and curving around segment, on IV distinctly Y-shaped; antennal segment I without transverse ridge on dorsal surface. Tergal campaniform sensilla posterior to median setae; posterior margins of tergites II–VIII with broadly rounded independent lobes fused at bases into continuous craspedum (Fig. 23); sternites II–VI posterior margins slender independent craspedate lobes ( Fig. 16 ), also laterally on VII. Male macropterous, smaller than female; antennal segment II only weakly produced on external margin.

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.

FIGURES 12 – 19. Chirothrips and Limothrips species. (12) Limothrips cerealium, meta pre-episternum arrowed. (13) C. meridionalis pteronota. (14) C. ah meta pre-episternum arrowed. (15) C. manicatus meta pre-episternum arrowed [Victoria]. Abdominal sternites: (16) C. meridionalis IV – V; (17) C. manicatus III – IV [A. C. T.]; (18) C. hamatus IV – V; (19) C. ah VI.