OzThrips

Thysanoptera in Australia

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body brown, tarsi paler, antennal segment III with pedicel pale; fore wings light brown with base paler. Antennae 8-segmented, III–IV with forked sensorium. Head wider than long, vertex with transverse sculpture lines, ocellar triangle without sculpture; 3 pairs of ocellar setae, pair III almost as long as distance between fore and hind ocelli, arising between posterior margins of hind ocelli; 4 pairs of small postocular setae. Pronotum with transverse lines of sculpture at anterior and posterior, 2 pairs of long posteroangular setae; median posteromarginal setae, also one pair of anteromarginal setae, longer than remmaining marginal setae. Mesonotal anterior campaniform sensilla present. Metanotum with lines of sculpture transverse at anterior, forming irregular elongate reticulations medially; campaniform sensilla present; median setae at anterior margin. Mesofurca with spinula. Fore wing first and second veins with complete row of setae; clavus with 5–6 veinal and one discal setae. Tergites without craspeda; V–VII without ctenidia but with irregular, minute microtrichia on lines of sculpture laterally; sculpture lines extend to median setae; VIII with paired ctenidia anterolateral to spiracle, posteromarginal comb of regularly spaced, moderately long, microtrichia. Sternites without discal setae; VII with setae S1 arising at margin.

Male macroptera. Similar to female but smaller, usually much paler; antennal segments I–II yellow in contrast to brown III–VIII; sternites III–VII with transversely slender pore plate; sternite VIII posterior margin with several prominent microtrichia.

Related and similar species

Species of the genus Pseudanaphothrips share many character states with species of Frankliniella, but none of them have tergal ctenidia so well-formed. Currently the genus includes nine species, all but one from Australia. However, some of these are based on very few specimens, and these remain particularly difficult to distinguish (Mound & Palmer, 1981). P. araucariae has well-developed ctenidia on tergite VIII, and ocellar setae pair III are unusually long.

Distribution data

General distribution

Hawaii, Norfolk Island, Tahiti, Australia.

Australian distribution

Queensland

Biological data

Life history

Feeding and breeding within male cones.

Host plants

Araucaria spp (Araucariaceae); Pinus caribaeaP. techumanii (Pinaceae).

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Pseudanaphothrips araucariae Mound & Palmer

Original name and synonyms

  • Pseudanaphothrips araucariae Mound & Palmer, 1990: 5

References

Mound LA. 2002. The Thrips and Frankliniella genus groups: the phylogenetic significance of ctenidia. Pp. 379-386 in Marullo R & Mound LA [eds] Thrips and Tospoviruses: Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Thysanoptera. Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra.

Oz thrips taxa