New Record of Predatory Thrips Aeolothrips wittmeri Priesner (Thysanoptera, Aeolothripidae) from Türkiye

Abstract

Up to the present, 16 species of the genus Aeolothrips have been recorded from Türkiye. This study identified a new predatory species, Aeolothrips wittmeri Priesner from cucumber fields in Diyarbakır Province, Türkiye. The species is similar to another predatory thrips Aeolothrips gloriosus Bagnall in color of last abdominal segments in which abdominal segments VIII–X and sometimes VII are dark brown and other parts of the body are yellow to light brown with pale brown spots. The characters separating these two species are provided in this manuscript with illustrations. The information gathered in this study can provide valuable information for future biological control programs for thrips in the future.