Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body brown, tibiae yellow with light brown shadings; antennal segment III yellow; fore wings weakly shaded. Antennae 7-segmented. Head with ocellar setae III arising outside triangle. Pronotum with weak transverse markings, posterior sub-marginal apodeme present, postero-angular setae long. Metanotum with irregular elongate reticulation, median setae at anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing first vein with setal row complete. Abdominal tergite II with 4 lateral margin setae; tergite VIII with ctenidia terminating anterior to setae S3, posteromarginal comb present laterally. Sternites and pleurotergites with no 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. The position of the ctenidia on tergite VIII indicates that T. pallisetis is a member of the Australian endemic T. seticollis group. The metanotum is similar in structure to T. excaelatus, but the forewing first vein has a complete row of setae. This species remains known only from four females, taken at two sites in central Australia.

Distribution data

General distribution

Known only from Australia.

Australian distribution

Central Australia (South Australia, New South Wales).

Biological data

Life history

Presumably feeding and breeding in flowers.

Host plants

Not known

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Thrips pallisetis Sakimura

Original name and synonyms

• Thrips (Isothrips) pallisetis Sakimura, 1969: 71

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