OzThrips

Thysanoptera in Australia

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body and legs yellow; antennal segments I–II yellow, III–VI yellow with apex increasingly brown, VII–IX brown; fore wing pale; tergites VIII–X major setae light brown. Head wider than long; transverse reticulation behind eyes, ocellar region with little or no sculpture; eyes with 6 pigmented facets; ocellar and postocular setae weakly spatulate; ocellar setae III on anterior margins of ocellar triangle. Antennae 9-segmented, III–IV with apex weakly constricted, sensorium forked; II with no microtrichia; VI narrowed to base but not pedicellate. Pronotum with transverse lines of sculpture, with no long setae, all setae weakly spatulate. Metascutum reticulate; median setae spatulate, well back from anterior margin, lateral setae setaceous, campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing first vein with about 9 setae on basal half and 5 setae distributed along distal half; second vein with about 12 setae; clavus with 6 veinal setae. Abdominal tergites II–VII with no sculpture medially, lateral lines not extending mesad of setae S2 and bearing small dentate microtrichia; VIII with long fine comb of microtrichia.

Male macroptera. Similar to female; thoracic setae less thickened than female; tergite IX with two pairs of short stout setae medially; sternites III–VII with C-shaped pore plate.

Related and similar species

There are 43 species of Anaphothrips known from Australia, out of a total of 79 species worldwide (Mound & Masumoto, 2009). Many of these species have the antennae clearly 9-segmented as in A. atriplicis. However, other species clearly have only 8 segments, and several species have an intermediate condition with segment VI bearing a partial and often oblique transverse suture. The pronotal setae are short, and the forewing clavus has no discal seta. Some species in this genus can be recognised only in the male sexIt is possible that there is a complex oc closely related species similar to A. atriplicis on various Chenopodiaceae across the arid regions of Australia.

Distribution data

General distribution

Known only from Australia.

Australian distribution

New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

Biological data

Life history

Feeding and breeding on leaves.

Host plants

Collected from Atriplex paludosa (Chenopodiaceae), Rhagodia spp. (Chenopodiaceae), and Arthrocnemon sp. (Chenopodiaceae). Larvae have been taken on A. paludosa.

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Anaphothrips atriplicis Mound & Masumoto

Original name and synonyms

  • Anaphothrips atriplicis Mound & Masumoto, 2009: 19

References

Mound LA & Masumoto M. 2009. Australian Thripinae of the Anaphothrips genus-group (Thysanoptera), with three new genera and thirty-three new species. Zootaxa 2042: 1-76.http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2009/f/zt02042p076.pdf

Oz thrips taxa