Phlaeothrips bispinosus

Nomenclatural details

Phlaeothrips bispinosus Priesner, 1919: 136.
Phlaeothrips guriensis Savenko, 1951: 236. Synonymised in Ulitzka (2024 in press).

Biology and distribution

Described from Ruskuli, Albania (P. bispinosus) and from Khrialeti (Municipality Ozurgeti), Guria, Georgia, from oak leaves (P. guriensis).

Distribution: Phlaeothrips bispinosus is widespread in Europe, but not common. Reports usually refer to individual specimens. Besides Albania and Georgia this species is reported from: Norway, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy and Greece, Romania, Mongolia and Transcaucasia; in Germany, P. bispinosus has only been recorded at four locations (Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia).
This thrips lives on dead wood and very probably feeds by sucking on fungal hyphae.

Note: The long pronotal anteroangular setae are only developed in oedymerous males. Females and gynaecoid males have short setae with funnel-shaped ends.

References

Priesner H (1919) Zur Thysanopterenfauna Albaniens. Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften 128: 115–144.

Savenko RF (1951) Zur Fauna der Thysanopteren Georgiens. Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR 10: 235–237. [Савенко Р Ф (1951) К фауне пузыреногих (Thysanoptera) Грузки. Тр. Инст. зоол. АН ГССР т. Χ: 235–237].

Type information

Holotype ♂ (P. bispinosus): Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt am Main.

Holotype ♂ (P. guriensis): Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia (not accessible; possibly lost).