”Unmasking the Villain”: Integrative Taxonomy Reveals the Real Identity of the Key Pest (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) of Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) in South America †

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In this work, we aimed to resolve the identification of the peanut thrips, the key pest of Arachis hypogaea in South America. Based on morphological, biological, and molecular data, we conclude that the name historically applied to this pest, Enneothrips flavens, constitutes a misidentification and that the peanut thrips is actually an undescribed species, Enneothrips enigmaticus sp. n. ABSTRACT: The peanut thrips, Enneothrips enigmaticus sp. n., is the key pest of Arachis hypogaea L. in South America, where it can cause yield losses of up to 85%. This species has historically been identified as Enneothrips flavens, but access to the holotype of this species and freshly collected material from southeastern and northern Brazil revealed that specimens commonly collected on peanut crops are not conspecific with E. flavens. Biological, molecular, and morphological assessments were carried out and led to the conclusion that the key pest of A. hypogaea belongs to a previously undescribed species: Enneothrips enigmaticus sp. n.