Belothrips morio Reuter

Belothrips morio Reuter, 1899: 45.

This species was based originally on a single female from Stockholm, but both sexes are distinguished from acuminatus in the key to European Terebrantia by zur Strassen (2003), who gives the distribution as “ Russia, Scandinavia, East Central Europe”. The web site of the Senckenberg Museum indicates the presence of only a single slide of morio, but through the courtesy of Nikolai Ignatev of that Museum seven slides bearing the identification morio by zur Strassen were found in the Senckenberg collections (Fig. 16). These seven slides bear specimens from Finland, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic and Western Canada, and this record of morio from Canada, Alberta, was published by Chiasson (1986: 53). However, Canada was not mentioned by zur Strassen (2003) although that record includes the only male of morio available. The character states used in the 2003 key to distinguish morio are far from robust, particularly considering the few specimens available all of which lack host data. The validity of the species will remain in doubt until further information becomes available, such as good population samples and host data.