OzThrips

Thysanoptera in Australia

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body, legs and antennal segments I–IV yellow, but II and apex of IV weakly shaded, V–VI brown with basal third yellow; fore wings weakly shaded along veins; tergite IX major setae pale. Head about as long as wide, projecting slightly in front of eyes, with faint anastomosing sculpture lines behind eyes and around ocelli; eyes with 6 pigmented facets; ocellar setae I wide apart, II relatively long, III just within triangle. Antennae 9-segmented; segments III–IV with small forked sensorium; II with a few weak, short microtrichia; suture oblique between VI–VII; VI weakly pedicellate. Pronotum with weak transverse sculpture lines; posteromarginal setae S2 at least 1.5 times as long as S1. Metascutum irregularly reticulate, median setae not close to anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing first vein with about 8 setae basally, 2 medially and 2 distally; second vein with 10 setae; clavus with 4–5 veinal setae. Abdominal tergites II–VII with no sculpture medially, lines extend just mesad of setae S2, median setal pair minute to small; posterolateral margins of tergites with broadly dentate microtrichia; VIII with long regular comb of microtrichia; IX elongate.

Male macroptera. Similar to female; tergite IX with 2 pairs of short stout setae medially; sternites with no pore plates.

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, others clearly have only 8 segments, but several species have an intermediate condition with segment VI bearing a partial and often oblique transverse suture as in A. dalbyi. The forewing clavus has no discal seta, but in contrast to the other Anaphothrips species one pair of pronotal posteroangular setae is unusually long.

Distribution data

General distribution

Known only from Australia.

Australian distribution

Queensland.

Biological data

Life history

Feeding on leaves.

Host plants

Grasses (Poaceae).

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Anaphothrips dalbyi Mound & Masumoto

Original name and synonyms

  • Anaphothrips dalbyi Mound & Masumoto, 2009: 29

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