Allelothrips vilardeboi (Bournier & Bournier, 1979)

Aeolothripidae, Terebrantia, Thysanoptera

Allelothrips vilardeboi is a predator of other thrips and arthropods associated with mango. Female macropterous and with a wasp-like waist. Body color dark brown; antennal segment I & II pale, III pale basally and brown distally, IV-IX dark brown; hind tibia and hind femora basally paler than mid and hind legs; abdominal segment 10 pale; fore wings with 3 dark transverse bands basally, medially and apically, with extreme apex pale. Antennae 9-segmented, elongate; segment III exceptionally long and slender, and about 5-6 times as long as wide; length of segment V much shorter than VI-IX together; segments III & IV with simple linear, gently undulated sensory areas. Head nearly as wide as long, eyes prolonged ventrally; maxillary palps consist of 3 segments, although 3rd segment is subdevided into 5 to 6 pseudosegments. Prothorax rectangular, without long setae. Mesonotum minutely striate. Metanotum with a distinctive triangular area of striate sculpture, 1 pair of setae at anterior margin and 1 pair near posterior. Tarsi 2-segmented, fore tarsus apically with stout recurved ventral hamus. Fore wing slender with apex rounded, cross veins prominent; costal margin with setae but no cilia. Tergites with discal setae small; tergite X with pair of very small trichobothria. Sternites II-VII each with about 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae and 1-4 discal setae laterally.
Male unknown.

The genus Allelothrips Bagnall, 1932
7 species are listed in this genus, 6 from Africa and 1 from India. The genus was defined largely on the number of maxillary palp segments, and the three nominal genera were separated on the fact that the maxillary palpi were 2-segmented (Arhipidothrips), 3-segmented (Pseudoaeolothrips) and 7 or 8-segmented (Allelothrips) (Mound 1968). Now, all of them are united to the genus Allelothrips. Members of the genus have 9-segmented antennae, the metanotum with a distinctive triangular area of striate sculpture, and the antennal sensoria are linear and simple, sometimes gently undulated, but without scalloped margins (Mound & Kibby 1998).

Allelothrips vilardeboi differs from other species of Allelothrips in having also fore wings with 3 dark transverse bands (basally, medially and apically) but with extreme apex pale. Most of Allelothrips species have a mainly brown body color (except for Allelothrips talithae with much paler, yellow to light brown body color), antennal segment IV of female is at least basally or completely pale (except for Allelothrips cincticornis and Allelothrips vilardeboi with antennal segment IV completely brown or dark brown), and antennal segments VI-IX have a brown to dark brown color (except for Allelothrips cincticornis with segments VI-IX pale). Allelothrips vilardeboi as well as Allelothrips brunneus, Allelothrips cincticornis and Allelothrips talithae have antennal segments I & II with pale coloration, in contrast the color of antennal segments I & II of Allelothrips cameroni and Allelothrips tenuicornis is brown, at least in part. Like Allelothrips cameroni, the species exhibits antennal segment III that is 5-6 times as long as wide (compared to Allelothrips brunneus and Allelothrips tenuicornis with antennal segment III that is 7-8 times as long as wide, and Allelothrips cincticornis and Allelothrips talithae with antennal segment III that is about 9-10 times as long as wide). It is similar to Allelothrips tenuicornis in having antennal segment V that is much shorter than VI-IX together in females (other species with antennal segment V that is subequal to VI-IX together in females).
Species of Allelothrips differ from Franklinothrips and Aeolothrips in having a metanotum with a distinctive triangular area of striate sculpture (Aeolothrips fasciatus with metanotum median area with irregular equiangular reticulation; species of Franklinothrips without sculpture medially). Furthermore, Franklinothrips species have antennal sensoria on segments III & IV that are linear with scalloped margins (those of Allelothrips species and Aeolothrips fasciatus are linear and simple but without scalloped margins), and 2 pairs of posteromarginal setae on sternites III-VI and 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae on sternite VII (Allelothrips species possess 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae on sternites III-VII; Aeolothrips fasciatus with 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae on sternites III-VII, and 2 pairs of supernumerary setae anterior to marginal setae S1 and S2 on sternite VII). Compared to Aeolothrips fasciatus, species of Allelothrips and Franklinothrips have discal setae laterally on sternites II-VII (Aeolothrips fasciatus without discal setae on sternites).

Life history
As with other thrips species the life cycle from egg to adult is dependent on temperature. The full cycle can take about 15 days (Lewis 1973) to over a month and adults may live for more than one month producing several generations in one year depending on seasonal weather.

Host plants
The plant on which Allelothrips vilardeboi are found in association with prey is mango.

Vector capacity
None identified.

Damage and symptoms
-

Detection and control strategies
-

Additional notes
-

Biogeography

Central Africa. Mali (Bougouni).

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Bournier A & Bournier J-P (1979). Thysanoptères d`Afrique noire, II. Bulletin de ľInstitut Fondamental ďAfrique Noire, Série A, Sciences Naturelles. 41 (2): 355-365

Lewis T (1973). Thrips: their biology, ecology and economic importance. Academic Press Inc., London Ltd., 349 pp.

Moritz G (2006). Thripse. Pflanzensaftsaugende Insekten, Bd. 1, (1. Auflage). Westarp Wissenschaften, Hohenwarsleben, 384 pp. ISBN 13: 978 3 89432 8917

Moritz G, Morris DC & Mound LA (2001). ThripsID - Pest thrips of the world. ACIAR and CSIRO Publishing Collingwood, Victoria, Australia, CDROM ISBN 1 86320 296 X

Mound LA (1968). A review of R. S. Bagnalľs Thysanoptera collections. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology. Supplement 11: 1-181

Mound LA & Kibby G (1998). Thysanoptera: An identification guide, (2nd edition). CAB International, Wallingford and New York, 70 pp

Mound LA & Marullo R (1993). The Erythrothrips complex of tropical Aeolothripidae (Thysanoptera) with new taxa from Australia and South Africa. Insect Systematics & Evolution. 24 (3): 285-291

Palmer JM (1990). Identification of the common thrips of Tropical Africa (Thysanoptera, Insecta). Tropical Pest Management. 36 (1): 27-49

Stannard LJ (1961). A new species of Allelothrips from South India, with notes on the synonymy and characteristics of the genus (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae). Bulletin of Entomology, Madras. 2: 9-11