Apterothrips apteris

Nomenclatural details

Sericothrips apteris Daniel, 1904: 295.
Sericothrips stanfordii Moulton, 1907: 51.
Sericothrips ineptus Ahlberg, 1922: 271.
Apterothrips delamarei Bournier, 1962: 231.

Biology and distribution

Described from Berkeley, Californien, USA from grasses.

Distribution: A. apteris has been reported southward from California through Mexico and the west coast of South America to the Falkland Islands and is also known from Hawaii. Probably distributed by whaling industry, it is found today in Western Australia, Tasmania, Norfolk Island and it is widespread and common throughout New Zealand. Moreover, A. apteris has been recorded twice in Scotland, at Ayr and Fair Isle, and twice in Britain, in West Yorkshire and Devon. It also has been found on Guernsey (Ulitzka unpublished).
A. apteris feeds and breeds on leaves. It is commonly found on grasses (Poaceae), Erigeron (Asteraceae), and is known to cause leaf deformation on Medicago (Fabaceae) and garlic (Allium, Amaryllidaceae).

References

Daniel SM (1903) New California Thysanoptera. Entomological news, and proceedings of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 15: 293–297.

Mound LA & Walker AK (1982) Terebrantia (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Fauna of New Zealand 1: 1–113.

Nakahara S (1988) A new synonym and revised status in Apterothrips(Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 90: 508–509.

Collins DW (2000) First English record for Apterothrips apteris (Daniel) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 136: 210.

Type information

Location for S. apteris: unknown.
Location for S. stanfordii: unknown.
Holotype ♀ (S. ineptus): Swedish State Museum of Natural History, Stockholm.
Holotype ♀ (A. delmarei): Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris.