Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body brown, legs yellow with light brown shadings; antennal segment III mainly yellow; fore wings brown with base pale. Antennae 7-segmented. Head with ocellar setae III behind first ocellus within ocellar triangle; ocellar region with transverse lines. Postocular setae II minute. Pronotum with transverse markings, posterior sub-marginal apodeme sometimes strong. Metanotum reticulate, some anterior reticles with internal markings, median setae behind anterior margin, campaniform sensilla absent. Fore wing first vein with 3 setae on distal half. Abdominal tergite II with 3 (or 4) lateral margin setae; tergite VIII with no comb. Sternites III–VI usually with one pair of discal setae laterally, but one or both of these setae may be absent on one or all of the sternites; VII with no discal setae.

Male macroptera. Body yellow; sternites III–VII with transverse pore plate but no discal setae.

Related and similar species

There are 33 species of Thrips genus known from Australia, out of a total of 280 species worldwide (Mound & Masumoto, 2005). Many of these species have the antennae clearly 7-segmented, whereas others have 8 segments. Some species have two complete rows of setae on the fore wing veins, whereas others have the setal row on the first vein more or less widely interrupted. Moreover, some species have sternal discal setae, whereas other species have only marginal setae on the sternites. Despite this variation, all members of Thrips genus have paired ctenidia on the tergites, and on tergite VIII these are postero-mesad to the spiracles, and they also lack ocellar setae pair I in front of the first ocellus. In contrast, Frankliniella species have ctenidia on tergite VIII antero-lateral to the spiracles, and a pair of setae is always present in front of the first ocellus. T. extensicornis is one of twelve species comprising the T. orientalis group (Mound 2005), but unlike the related species the boldly reticulate metanotum has very few markings internal to the reticles,.

Distribution data

General distribution

Taiwan, Philippines, Java, Riau Islands, Australia.

Australian distribution

Northern Territory, Queensland, Torres Straits Islands, Western Australia.

Biological data

Life history

Feeding and breeding in white, scented flowers.

Host plants

Gardenia, Pavetta (Rubiaceae), Glossocarya hemiderma (Verbenaceae)

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Thrips extensicornis Priesner

Original name and synonyms

• Thrips extensicornis Priesner, 1934: 276.

References

Mound LA & Masumoto M. 2005. The genus Thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Zootaxa 1020: 1-64. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2005f/zt01020p064.pdf