Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body yellow with brown markings; head with ocellar region shaded, also occipital carina; compound eyes with no ommatidia strongly pigmented; antecostal ridges on tergites III–VIII dark across full width of segments, on sternites II–VII weakly shaded; fore wings shaded; antennal segments II–VII dark, slightly paler at base on III–V. Antennae 7-segmented. Head wider than long, postocular region closely striate, ocellar triangle irregularly reticulate; ocellar setae pair III arise between mid points of posterior ocelli; three pairs of small post-ocellar setae. Pronotum closely striate, 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae, S2 almost half length of pronotum. Metanotum irregularly reticulate; median pair of setae not at anterior margin. Fore wing clavus with 3–4 marginal setae; first vein setae 2–3+2–5+1+1+1; second vein with 1 seta; posteromarginal fringe cilia straight. Tergites III–V with bases of median setae wider apart than their length; tergal microtrichial fields with 3 discal setae; VIII with no discal microtrichia anteromedially, posteromarginal comb complete; tergite IX with no discal microtrichia. Sternites with lateral microtrichial fields weak, not extending mesad of marginal setae S2.

Male not known.

Related and similar species

The genus Scirtothrips comprises over 100 described species worldwide, with 21 species known from Australia most of which are endemics to this continent. These species all have the lateral thirds of the abdominal tergites covered in closely spaced rows of fine microtrichia, and in many species the sternites also bear similar microtrichia. The antennae are 8-segmented, except in S. casuarinae and S. solus, both forewing veins have an irregular and incomplete setal row, and a median spinula is present on both the meso and metafurca. S. casuarinae and S. solus are the only species in Scirtothrips with seven instead of eight antennal segments.

Distribution data

General distribution

Known only from Australia.

Australian distribution

Queensland, New South Wales.

Biological data

Life history

Feeding and breeding on leaves.

Host plants

Casuarina spp (Casuarinaceae).

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Scirtothrips casuarinae Palmer & Mound

Original name and synonyms

• Scirtothrips casuarinae Palmer & Mound, 1983: 512.

References

Hoddle MS & Mound LA. 2003. The genus Scirtothrips in Australia (Insecta, Thysanoptera, Thripidae). Zootaxa 268: 1-40. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2003f/zt00268.pdf