Scolothrips longicornis Priesner 1926: 239

Scolothrips acariphagus Jakhontov 1929: 273 (synonymised by zur Strassen 2003: 120)

The three members of the S. longicornis species-group, including dilongicornis and takahashii, cannot at present be distinguished from each other satisfactorily. However, these species can be distinguished readily from the sexmaculatus species-group because the sub-basal dark band on the fore wing fully extends to the anterior margin. Paratypes of both sexes of S. dilongicornis have been studied (in BMNH and SMF). Contrary to the original description of that species the sub-basal dark band on the fore wing does not fully include the hind margin of the wing, and these females cannot be distinguished satisfactorily from longicornis . This dark band is variable within populations of longicornis, and the posterior marginal vein of the fore wing is sometimes paler than the dark area itself. The paratype males of dilongicornis are micropterous, with the fore wing lobe scarcely longer than the thorax width, whereas the few males of longicornis seen from Europe are hemimacropterous with fore wings considerably longer than the thorax width. Priesner (1950) identified as longicornis two females collected by S.F. Bailey at Davis, California, and one of these has been compared with a series of 21 females, 10 males from almond trees at Esparto (near Davis), California (in UCD). The females in this series seem to be typical longicornis, but these Californian males are all fully macropterous (see takahashii).