Scolothrips rhagebianus Priesner 1950 : 46

Mound, Laurence A., 2011, Species recognition in the genus Scolothrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), predators of leaf-feeding mites, Zootaxa 2797, pp. 45-53 : 51

Scolothrips rhagebianus Priesner 1950: 46

Scolothrips indicus Priesner, 1950: 48 . (synonymised by zur Strassen 1993: 366)

Mature adults of this Old World species can be distinguished from the New World species, sexmaculatus , by the pattern of pigmentation on the abdominal terga. In rhagebianus , most of these terga bear a distinctive pair of dark spots laterally ( Fig. 8 ), and the shading on the median area of the terga usually does not extend to their posterior margins. The metascutum is usually much less pigmented than in sexmaculatus , but the metascutellum is dark. Isolated females that have not yet achieved mature colouration are difficult to distinguish from sexmaculatus , as are poorly mounted or damaged females; males can currently be identified only through association with females. Described originally from Egypt, rhagebianus is recorded from Sudan, Transvaal, Mauritius, and India (zur Strassen, 1993), and is here recorded as being widespread across Australia. At Shepperton, Victoria, it was found in 1968 in association with Tetranychidae on pear and peach trees. In New South Wales it has been found at Mittagong, Wilcannia and Broken Hill, particularly on native Poaceae . It has been taken from various plants in south east Queensland, and as a predator on spotted mites at Darwin, in the Northern Territory. In the north of Western Australia, at Kunnunurra, considerable populations were found in association with Amblyseius sp. ( Phytoseidae ) on the leaves of Zea mays , and among very large populations of Eutetranychus orientalis on Citrus leaves.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Scolothrips species. (1) S. ochoa, pro, meso and metanota. Head and thorax 2 – 3 (arrow indicates position of posteromesad discal setae): (2) S. latipennis; (3) S. sexmaculatus. Antenna 4 – 5: (4) S. ochoa; (5) S. asura. (6) S. brevipilis (in Canada balsam). (7) S. sexmaculatus (in clove oil). (8) S. rhagebianus (in Hoyers mountant).