Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Body mainly brown with yellow internal pigment, abdomen paler; forewings brown at base, then with three pale bands alternating with three decreasingly pigmented bands; antennal segments III–V yellow, other segments brown; tarsi and apices of tibiae yellow. Head wider than long, tuberculate between ocelli; ocellar setae pair III arising just outside anterior margins of ocellar triangle. Antennae 9-segmented, but VI usually with suture only ventrally; segments III–IV with slender forked sensorium, segment VI inner margin with long sensorium arising medially. Pronotum with complex reticulation, reticles with internal markings, discal setae fine, posterior margin with no long setae. Metanotum with elongate and irregularly tuberculate reticulation, median pair of setae far from anterior margin. Fore wing with no prominent setae, wing apex recurved with no stout seta, cilia arise ventrally far behind anterior margin. Tergites with median pair of setae longer than distance between their bases; lateral thirds of tergites with complex sculpture; posterior margin of VIII with complete comb; tergite X with no longitudinal split.

Related and similar species

The Old World genus Dendrothrips currently includes more than 50 described species, mainly from Africa and Asia. The metathoric endofurca is greatly enlarged, “lyre-shaped”, extending into the mesothorax, the sides of the metathorax are greatly swollen, the hind coxae are wider than long, the forewing cilia arise ventrally well behind the anterior margin, and the apex of the forewing is recurved without a prominent terminal seta. The form of the wing apex distinguishes the members of this genus from the other species placed in the Dendrothripinae. D. diaspora appears to be a member of a complex of undescribed species in Australia, all of which have the ocellar region with an array of small tubercles.

Distribution data

Area of origin

Eastern Australia

Distribution

Widespread across Australia, from eastern Queensland to the north west of Western Australia

Biological data

Life history

Breeding on leaves

Host plants

No precise host records available

Tospoviruses vectored

None

Crop damage

None

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Dendrothrips diaspora Mound

Original name and synonyms

• Dendrothrips diaspora Mound, 1999: 261