Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body golden yellow with brown shadings laterally; antennal segments IV-VI brown in apical half or more; fore wings pale with brown marking sub-basally and medially. Antennae 8-segmented; segments III- IV with slender forked sensorium. Head with cheeks bulging behind eyes, constricted to basal neck; dorsal surface reticulate, ocellar setae III on anterior margins of ocellar triangle. Pronotum without long setae, discal setal bases prominent. Metanotum irregularly reticulate, median setae well behind anterior margin. Fore wing unusually slender, major setae minute. Tergites II-VIII laterally with numerous broadly based stout microtrichia; VI-VIII with 1-2 pairs of stout setae medially pointing toward midline; posterior margin of VIII with dentate craspedum laterally but smooth craspedum medially; IX-X with setae stout, X fully divided medially. Sternites without sculpture, median pair of setae on VII arising at margin.

Female microptera. Similar to macroptera but wing lobe shorter than thorax width.

Male microptera. Similar to female; tergite IX with pair of stout thorn-like setae arising from large median tubercle, and 6 small tubercles posterior to this; antecostal ridge of sternites IV-VII with small transverse ore plate.

Related and similar species

Apart from D. innoxius, there are three further species in the genus Dendrothripoides; one from South Africa, one from Thailand, and one from Philippines and Sulawesi (Kudo, 1992). The genus is closely related to two further oriental genera, Indusiothrips Priesner with two species, and Isunidothrips Kudo with one species, but the tergal microtrichia are much weaker in these than in Dendrothripoides.

Distribution data

General distribution

Pacific – Australia, New  Caledonia, New Guinea, Vanuatu, Philippines, Guam, Marquesas, Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga; Hawaii. New World – Brazil, Panama, Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, St. Croix, Trinidad, USA-Florida. Old World– Nigeria, Réunion; India, Burma, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan.

Australian distribution

Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia.

Biological data

Life history

Feeding and breeding on leaves.

Host plants

Ipomoea sp. (Convolvulaceae).

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Dendrothripoides innoxius (Karny)

Original name and synonyms

• Euthrips innoxius Karny, 1914: 359
• Dendrothripoides ipomoeae Bagnall, 1923: 625
• Tryphactothrips mediosignatus Karny, 1925: 34
• Tryphactothrips mundus Karny, 1927: 190
• Heliothrips ipomeae Bondar, 1930: 18
• Scirtothrips gladiiseta Girault, 1933: 2

References

Mound LA & Marullo R. 1996. The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1-488.