Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body and legs clear yellow, abdominal segment X sometimes weakly shaded; antennal segments I–IV yellow, V weakly shaded near apex, VI–VII brown but VI usually paler at base; eyes with no pigmented facets; fore wing uniformly pale. Head with postocular setae pairs I–IV equally long; ocellar setae III lateral to triangle. Pronotum with faint transverse striae, 10– 20 setae in median area. Mesonotal campaniform sensilla absent, median setal pair in front of posterior margin. Metanotum closely striate, median setal pair not at anterior margin, no campaniform sensilla. Fore wing clavus with discal seta. Prosternal ferna complete medially; meso and meta furca without spinula. Tergites IV–VIII with little or no sculpture medially, posterior margins with no craspedum or teeth; paired ctenidia present on V–VIII; IX usually without anterior campaniform sensilla, median dorsal setae slender. Sternites without pore plates.

Male macroptera. Smaller than female; sternites III–V with transverse pore plate, VI–VIII with median pair of setae arising in front of margin; tergite IX median four pairs of setae arising in transverse row.

Related and similar species

The genus Stenchaetothrips currently includes 32 species, all associated with Poaceae and all originally from the Old World tropics. S. indicus is unique among the described species in lacking a comb of slender microtrichia on the posterior margin of tergite VIII in females. In this species, the posterior margin of tergite VIII at most bears a weak craspedum of small flat translucent lobes, but these are not present in all females. Females from the Neotropics that are considered to be S. indicus have a pair of campaniform sensilla on the anterior half of tergite IX.

Distribution data

General distribution

India, Pakistan, Thailand, Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, Trinidad.

Australian distribution

Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory.

Biological data

Life history

Feeding and breeding on leaves.

Host plants

Saccharum sp.,Andropogon sp., Saccharum sp., Stipa sp., Cymbopogon refractus (Poaceae).

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Stenchaetothrips indicus (Ramakrishna & Margabandhu)

Original name and synonyms

• Fulmekiola indica Ramakrishna & Margabandhu, 1931: 1034
• Anaphidothrips brasiliensis Hood, 1954: 212

References

Mound LA. 2011. Grass-dependent Thysanoptera of the family Thripidae from Australia. Zootaxa 3064: 1–40. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt03064p040.pdf