Thrips parvispinus (Karny)

(Figs. 6, 13, 20, 25)

Isoneurothrips parvispinus Karny, 1922: 106

Thrips (Isoneurothrips) taiwanus Takahashi, 1936: 440

Female (macropterous): Body brown, head and thorax paler than abdomen, head commonly with cheeks darker than median area; legs mainly yellow; antennal segment III yellow, also basal half of IV&V; fore wings brown with base sharply pale. Antennae 7-segmented, III–IV with sensorium forked. Head wider than long, ocellar setae pair III small and arising on anterior margins of ocellar triangle; postocular setae pairs I&III slightly longer than ocellar setae III, postocular pair II minute (Fig. 6). Pronotum with two pairs of long posteroangular setae; posterior margin with three pairs of setae. Metanotum reticulate medially, reticles varying in shape and sometimes with faint internal sculptured markings; median setae long, arising behind anterior margin; paired campaniform sensilla absent (Fig. 13). Fore wing first and second veins with complete rows of setae (Fig. 25); clavus with five marginal setae. Abdominal tergite II with three lateral marginal setae; tergite VIII posterior margin with comb almost absent (Fig. 20); pleurotergites without discal setae. Sternites II & VII without discal setae, III–VI with about six to 12 discal setae in an irregular row.

Male: Smaller than female; Body yellow; abdominal tergite VIII with no posteromarginal comb; sternites III– VII each with small transverse pore plate, discal setae arising laterally.

Specimens examined. China: Yunnan, 4 females, 1 male, on Luffa cylindrica, 27.ix.2009.

Remarks. This species is common across Southeast Asia into northern Australia. Serious damage is recorded to plantations of pawpaw in Hawaii, also to various food crops in S.E. Asia, and to greenhouse Gardenia plants in Greece (Mound & Collins, 2000). It is one of a small group of Asian Thrips species, including orientalis, in which discal setae are present on abdominal sternites III to VI but not on sternite VII.