Aeolothrips duvali

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Both sexes with complete, banded wings; median pale band shorter than distal dark band. Body and legs brown, antennal segment III brown, with basal third brownish yellow. Head and pronotum with no long setae. Fore tarsus apically with stout recurved ventral hamus. Antennae 9-segmented, segment III long with linear sensorium about 0.3 as long as segment, IV with sensorium almost 0.5 as long as segment and curved distally; segments V–IX forming a single unit with V slightly shorter than VI–IX. Marginal setae on sternites arising at or close to margin; sternite VII supernumerary paired setae arising well in front of margin. Male tergites IV and V sometimes with very small paired dorsal tubercles; setae at base of bifurcate claspers on tergite IX almost as long as clasper, with no stout curved seta lateral to clasper.

Related and similar species

A. duvali is a member of the A. fasciatus group but has antennal segment III more extensively brown, and the seta at the base of the claspers in males is shorter. Just over 90 species are placed currently in the genus Aeolothrips, of which more than 50 are from the Palaearctic Region (mainly Europe), and 28 from the Nearctic (mainly western USA). Only two species are recorded from the Neotropics; the one from Chile is probably the same as A. fasciatus, and one from Panama is probably not a member of this genus (Mound & Marullo, 1996).

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Aeolothrips duvali Moulton

Original name and synonyms

• Aeolothrips duvali Moulton, 1927: 186

Family placement

Aeolothripidae

Biological data

Life history

Presumably a facultative predator in flowers, with a mixed diet of pollen and the larvae of other thrips.

Host plants

Swept from a range of wild plants, particularly flowers of Mimulus aurantiacus (Scrophulariaceae), but with no information on any specificity for breeding.

Tospoviruses vectored

None

Crop damage

None

Distribution data

Area of origin

Western USA

Distribution

Described from Texas, this species is recorded from California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arkansas, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Mexico.