OzThrips

Thysanoptera in Australia

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body and legs mainly yellow, light brown on anterior of mesonotum and anterior margin of head; antennae brown, segment III yellow in basal third; fore wings uniformly pale. Antennae 9-segmented, segment I with short apical process; sensoria on III–IV incomplete dorsally, with weak internal markings; IX slightly longer than VIII. Head with ocellar setae III  small, shorter than length of an ocellus, arising between anterior margins of posterior ocelli. Pronotum with weak sculpture lines, all setae minute. Mesonotum covered with microtrichia, setae minute. Metanotum with microtrichia on concentric lines at anterior. Fore wing setae shorter than width of veins. Fore tibial apex with two stout ventro-lateral setae. Abdominal tergites I–VII with weak sculpture lines medially; tergite VIII median setae about 0.5 as long as tergite; dorsal setae on IX–X not elongate. Sternites with numerous small discal setae.

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

Related and similar species

Twelve species are currently described in the genus Cranothrips, 11 from Australia and one from South Africa (Pereyra & Mound, 2009). C. bellisi is the smallest and palest of these species and, unlike typical species of Melanthripidae, bears no long setae on the head and pronotum.

Distribution data

Australia, Northern Territory, near Darwin

Biological data

Host plants

Calytrix exstipulata

Life history

Breeding in flowers of its host, Turkey Bush, sometimes in large populations. Presumably pupating at soil level.

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Cranothrips bellisi Mound & Marullo

Original name and synonyms

  • Cranothrips bellisi Mound & Marullo, 1998

Oz thrips taxa