Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body dark brown, legs with tarsi and apices of tibiae yellowish; antennal segments II and V–VIII dark brown, I light brown, III–IV yellow; fore wings mainly pale; major body setae dark. Head about as long as wide, projecting weakly in front of eyes; eyes with 6 pigmented facets; ocellar setae III just anterior to hind ocelli; postocular setae III displaced behind setal row. Antennae 8-segmented, III–IV with small forked sensorium, II without microtrichia; VI not pedicellate. Pronotum with transverse anastomosing striae; posteromarginal setae slightly longer than discal setae. Metascutum irregularly reticulate, without internal wrinkles; median setae on anterior third of sclerite; campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing first vein with about 6 setae on basal half, 1 seta medially and 2 distally; second vein with about 12 setae including 1–2 basal to vein fork; clavus with about 5 veinal setae and one seta at base. Abdominal tergites laterally with small dentate microtrichia on sculpture and dentate microtrichia on posterior margin; II–VII with sculpture extending just mesad of setae S2, smooth at middle; VIII with long slender posteromarginal comb. Sternites with small dentate microtrichia along posterior margin.

Male macroptera. Similar to female; tergite VIII with long comb; IX with two pairs of short stout setae medially; sternites III–VII each 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, others clearly have only 8 segments as in A. incertus, but several species have an intermediate condition with segment VI bearing a partial and often oblique transverse suture. In structure, A. incertus is a typical grass-living species of Anaphothrips.

Distribution data

General distribution

Known only from Australia.

Australian distribution

Eastern Australia.

Biological data

Life history

Feeding on leaves.

Host plants

Various native grasses, but less common on introduced grasses.

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Anaphothrips incertus (Girault)

Original name and synonyms

• Limothrips incertus Girault, 1929: 3
• Anaphothrips incertus (Girault) Pitkin, 1978: 359

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