Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body brown, tarsi and apex of fore tibiae yellow; antennal segment III yellow; fore wings pale in basal quarter, then brown but shading gradually to pale apex. Antennae 8-segmented. Head with ocellar setae III arising on external margins of triangle; postocular setae II less than half length of seta I. Pronotum broad with no markings, discal setae relatively small. Mesonotum transversely striate on posterior half, no lines close to anterior campaniform sensilla. Metanotum reticulate medially, median setae arise at anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing first vein with complete row of setae on distal half, clavus with subterminal seta longer than terminal seta. Abdominal tergite II with 4 lateral setae; tergites with no lines of sculpture mesad of discal setae S2; tergite VIII comb absent; tergite X about twice as long as VIII. Sternite II with 2 discal setae, III–VII with 8–12 discal setae; pleurotergites without discal setae.

Male not known.

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. longicaudatus is closely similar to T. hawaiiensis in structure, and is also related to T. maculicollis, but has the terminal abdominal segments unusually long.

Distribution data

General distribution

Samoa, Philippines, Australia.

Australian distribution

Queensland.

Biological data

Life history

Presumably feeding and breeding in flowers.

Host plants

Not known.

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Thrips longicaudatus (Bianchi)

Original name and synonyms

• Taeniothrips longicaudatus Bianchi, 1953: 94.

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