OzThrips

Thysanoptera in Australia

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body and legs brown, fore tibiae and fore tarsi paler; antennal segment III almost yellow, IV light brown, V–IX brown; fore wings pale brown. Antennae 9-segmented, segments III–IV with apical sensorium incomplete. Head with ocellar setae III long, arising on anterior margins of triangle; three pairs of long postocular setae. Pronotum with many sculpture lines, with about 10 pairs of discal setae; posterior angles with 2 pairs of long setae. Mesonotum with microtrichia on posterior half. Metanotum with concentric lines and microtrichia on anterior half. Fore wing veinal setae short on basal half of wing but longer toward apex. Fore tibial apex with two stout ventro-lateral setae Abdominal tergites I–VIII medially with no sculpture lines or microtrichia; tergite VIII median setae scarcely 0.5 as long as tergite, arising distant from posterior margin.

Male smaller than female, tergite I with pair of longitudinal ridges.

Related and similar species

Six species are currently described in the genus Dorythrips, two from Australia and four from South America (de Borbon, 2009).

Distribution data

Western Australia, near Perth. Two females apparently of this species have also been seen from eastern Australia, from northern New South Wales and southern Queensland.

Biological data

Host plants

Known only from a few specimens taken in flowers of an Acacia species, but this is not neccessarily the plant on which this thrips breeds.

Life history

Breeding in flowers of its host.

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Dorythrips wallacei Mound

Original name and synonyms

  • Dorythrips wallacei Mound, 1972

Oz thrips taxa