Hercinothrips tenuis Hartwig

This species is very close to H. brunneus but the hind tibiae have a pale area in the basal and apical part. I have observed several pictures of the hind tibiae from one specimen deposited in the USDA collection (Beltsville, MA) kindly made by Dr Cheryle O’Donnell and only a pale yellowish apical area is present in the hind tibiae. The hind tibiae of H. brunneus are completely yellow, and therefore this character seems to be strong enough to distinguish these species. The location and structure of the spines are similar in males of H. brunneus and H. tenuis . One female from Africa (in NHM) was labeled as H. tenuis but the color of the tibia and other characters corresponded clearly with H. brunneus .