Scolothrips lanzarotensis Priesner 1933

Scolothrips lanzarotensis Priesner 1933: 194

Described from the Canary Islands, the three females on which this species was based are not in the Senckenberg Museum (nor are any specimens of the other species described in that 1933 paper). Priesner stated that only further specimens would confirm if lanzarotensis was a valid species, and indicated (in 1950: 56) that the species “comes near latipennis ”. Despite this, Priesner appears to have produced the 1950 key to species without access to the type specimens of lanzarotensis, judging from the statement that the presence or absence of pronotal discal setae is “unknown”. Two females have been studied (in SMF) that were collected in 1964 in Tenerife. These were identified as lanzarotensis by Richard zur Strassen from information in the original publication, and the species was apparently included in the key to European species (zur Strassen, 2003) on the basis of these two specimens. The three differences from S. latipennis quoted in that key are all associated with body size, and an alternative interpretation would be that these specimens are small individuals of the more widespread latipennis. It should be noted that Priesner (1933) states “Vorderandborsten des Prothorax 78-90” whereas zur Strassen (2003) states “Anteromarginale Borsten S1 des Pronotum 36-41”. However, it is not clear if these two authors were referring to precisely the same setae. In the absence of the original specimens, lanzarotensis is here considered a nomen dubium.