Chirothrips meridionalis Bagnall, 1927

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 : 173

Chirothrips meridionalis Bagnall

Chirothrips meridionalis Bagnall, 1927: 566

The species was described from France, and is recorded from Madeira, Nigeria, South Africa (zur Strassen 2003; Bhatti et al. 2009) and Saudi Arabia. It is among the few species of Chirothrips known to have a forked sense cone on antennal segment IV. It shares most body features with C. aculeatus , but is distinguised by the presence of a continuous craspedum of long broad lobes on posterior margin of tergites II–VII and antennal segment I without dorsal transverse ridge. In contrast, in C. aculeatus the posterior margin of tergites have a series of small lobes and antennal segment I has a dorsal transverse ridge ( Minaei & Mound 2010).

Material studied. Al Baha. Wadi Turabah , one female from Blepharis ciliaris , 6.iv.2019, ( BT) ; Shada Al Ala , nine females, one male from Cenchrus sp. , 26.ix.2020, ( BT) ; one female from Senna italica (BT) . Riyadh. Al-Deri’yya, Wadi Hanifa , 15 females 1.iii.2020, ( BT) ; Al Oyayna, Bodha park, one female from Acacia sp. , 2.iv.2019, ( BT) .