1923 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 41 



to pear orchards in Western New York State wherein "the injured blossom 

 clusters turned brown as if blighted, while the leaves became discoloured about 

 the wounded areas and curled." Similar injury to deciduous fruits has been 

 noted by Morril in the Salt River Valley of Arizona and in California young 

 developing apricots have been* on occasions, severely injured. The floral parts 

 of blackberries and raspberries have been injured also in the mid-central United 

 States, and Quaintance even presented the name of the Strawberry Thrips to 

 F. tritici in Florida from its pronounced injuries to this crop. It is probable, 

 however, in this connection that the species involved was F. bispinosus or its 

 variety projectus and not F. tritici as imagined in Florida, a belief that is sup- 

 ported by a later study given the matter by Watson, of Florida, who draws 

 attention to the fact that F. bispinosus usually finds its habitat in flowers of 

 an open structure, while F. tritici prefers blossoms and parts of plants that are 

 closed. To wheat, oats, peas and like crops notable injury has been caused 

 not only in the United States, but also in Europe at various times. Lastly, 

 attention must be drawn to the possible relation of insects of this class to the 

 distribution of plant diseases, and to the fact that many species, including F. 

 tritici, may be predaceous on insect eggs. In our own experience in Canada 

 F. tritici has been incriminated as a carrier of blossom infection of Fire Blight, 

 but in the Rogue River Valley of Oregon this species is said to rank high in 

 this connection. Sufficient has been said to indicate the possible relationship 

 of these exceedingly common insects to cultivated crops. It is only necessary 

 to close this phase of the subject by stating that all plants are liable to be in- 

 fested, but that the typical habitat of F. tritici is among the florets of composite 

 flowers, in clusters of young leaves, in any crevice where the tissue is not too 

 tough to be pierced provided the situation is concealed. Shull, in the American 

 Naturalist, Vol. 48, has drawn attention to this fact and records, for example, 

 that the species is usually very abundant in the flowers of white clover (2". 

 repens) and red clover (7". pratense), while it is rarely found in the related yellow 

 and white sweet clovers (M. officinalis and alba). The larvae, likewise, frequents 

 a similar habitat. 



The Systematic Position 



It would be well to briefly mention the characters of this insect which has 

 such potentialities as a pest. The term Euthrips may have a familiar sound 

 to many present, as it was under this genus that the pear thrips Euthrips pyri 

 was dealt with in American literature. Tritici, occidentalis , floridensis, gossypii, 

 helianthi, runneri, insularis, cephalicus, fuscus, nicotiance, minuta, nervosa, etc., 

 have all been dealt with under the genus Euthrips. The genus Euthrips now 

 no longer exists, or, if it is employed, is usually applied synonymously with 

 Anaphothrips , Uzel. Its use was shown by Hood to be a contravention to Article 

 9 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The genera Tcenio- 

 thrips Serville, Frankliniella Karny, Parafrankliniella Priesner, Kakothrips 

 Williams, Odontothrips Serville and others are now erected by their respective 

 authors to take care of former members of the genus Euthrips. Dr. Karny, in a 

 recent issue of Treubia, has given us some suggestions in key form which assist 

 us materially in separating the related genera of the Thripince. For our pur- 

 poses this key is adapted and modified as follows: — 



Antennas 7 or 8, or apparently 9, segmented. 

 a. Fore tibia unarmed ; 



b. Anterior angles of prothorax on each side with a long, strong bristle; 



c. Prothorax with a rather long bristle in the middle of each. 



Scolothrips Hinds. 



