OzThrips

Thysanoptera in Australia

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body brown, tarsi and tibiae yellow with brown shadings; antennal segment III yellow; fore wings pale in basal quarter, then brown but slightly paler to apex. Antennae 8-segmented. Head with ocellar setae III arising outside triangle; postocular setae II about half length of seta I. Pronotum broad with weak transverse 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 3 widely spaced setae on distal half, clavus with subterminal seta longer than terminal seta. Abdominal tergite II with 4 lateral marginal setae; tergite I covered with lines of sculpture, II–VIII with no lines of sculpture extending mesad to campaniform sensilla; tergite VIII comb with a few teeth laterally; tergite X as long as VIII. Sternite II with 4 discal setae, III–VII with 12–16 discal setae; pleurotergites without discal setae.

Male macroptera. Body yellow, antennal segments IV–VIII brown, wings slightly shaded; sternites III–VII with large transverse pore plate.

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. Although T. maculicollis was at one time placed in the genusLefroyothrips, it is a typical member of genus Thrips in details of its structure (Mound, 1996). It is similar to T. longicaudatus in the form of the head, pronotum, mesonotum, metanotum and forewing clavus, but the terminal abdominal segments are short, and there are few setae on the first vein of the forewing.

Distribution data

General distribution

Australia, New Caledonia.

Australian distribution

Queensland.

Biological data

Life history

Feeding and breeding in flowers.

Host plants

Recorded from Fagraea schlechteri (Loganiaceae) in New Caledonia.

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Thrips maculicollis (Hood)

Original name and synonyms

  • Physothrips maculicollis Hood, 1918: 122.
  • Lefroyothrips maculicollis (Hood); Bhatti, 1978: 188

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

Oz thrips taxa