Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body and legs yellow, head and pronotum with dark lateral margins; antennal segments I–II dark brown, III–V yellow in basal half but light brown distally, VI–VIII light brown; fore wing and clavus uniformly dark. Antenna 8-segmented; segment I with paired dorso-apical setae; III–IV with apex neck-like bearing long forked sensorium; VIII longer than VII. Head about as wide as long, vertex with a few transverse striae; ocellar setae I absent, setae III scarcely longer than length of an ocellus, arising between anterior margins of posterior ocelli; three pairs of postocular setae, pairs I and II close together behind ocelli; compound eyes without pigmented facets. Pronotum with few or no lines of sculpture medially, 4–8 discal setae; 2 pairs of long posteroangular setae, posterior margin with 2 pairs of setae. Mesonotum with anterior campaniform sensilla, median setae near posterior margin. Metanotum without sculpture medially, median setae close to anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present. Prosternal ferna weakly complete medially; mesothoracic sternopleural suture not developed; mesofurca with spinula, metafurca without spinula. Fore wing first vein with 2 setae near apex; second vein with about 15 setae; forewing clavus with 4 marginal and one discal setae. Abdominal tergites without posteromarginal craspeda or lateral ctenidia; tergites II–VIII without sculpture medially, lateral to seta S2 with a few faint lines; tergite VIII without posteromarginal comb; tergite X undivided. Sternites without discal setae, marginal setae on VII arise in front of margin.

Male not known.

Related and similar species

Bhatti (2000) recognised 10 species-groups in the genus Trichromothrips, and placed T. bilongilineatus as the sole member of one of these groups. The genus includes 27 species. However, in the key to these species by Bhatti (2000), T bilongilineatus is placed with unicolourous species, despite the head and pronotum being sharply bicoloured.

Distribution data

General distribution

Known only from Australia.

Australian distribution

New South Wales, Queensland.

Biological data

Life history

Feeding and breeding on leaves.

Host plants

Possibly polyphagous, adults taken from Scaevola (Goodeniaceae), Lastreopsis (Aspleniaceae)

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Trichromothrips bilongilineatus (Girault)

Original name and synonyms

• Euthrips bilongilineatus Girault, 1925: 34

References

Bhatti JS. 2000. Revision of Trichromothrips and related genera (Terebrantia: Thripidae). Oriental Insects 34: 1-65.