Thrips longicaudatus (Bianchi)

Mound, Laurence A. & Masumoto, Masami, 2005, The genus Thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, Zootaxa 1020 (1), pp. 1-64 : 33

Thrips longicaudatus (Bianchi)

Taeniothrips longicaudatus Bianchi, 1953: 94

Diagnosis: Female brown, tarsi and apex of fore tibiae yellow; antennal segment III yellow; forewings pale in basal quarter, then brown but shading gradually to pale apex. Antennae 8­segmented; ocellar setae III arise on external margins of ocellar triangle; postocular setae II less than half length of seta I. Pronotum broad with no 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. Forewing first vein with complete row of setae on distal half, clavus with subterminal seta longer than terminal seta. Abdominal tergite II with 4 lateral setae; tergites with no lines of sculpture mesad of discal setae S2; tergite VIII comb absent; tergite X about twice as long as VIII ( Fig. 49 ); sternite II with 2 discal setae, III–VII with 8–12 discal setae; pleurotergites without discal setae.

Breeding: This species remains known only from females, and too few specimens have been collected for there to be any knowledge of its biology.

Distribution: Described from Samoa, and recorded from the Philippines ( Reyes, 1994), two females have been studied from near Atherton in north­eastern Queensland.

Relationships: Despite the remarkable elongate terminal abdominal segments, this is one of a group of species closely similar to T. hawaiiensis in structure, and is also related to T. maculicollis .

Figures

FIGURES 49–59. Thrips species. T. longicaudatus (49) Tergites VIII–X. T. maculicollis 50–51: (50) Tergites VII–X; (51) Meso­metanota. T. malloti (52) Meso­metanota, female from Java; (53) Metanotum, female from Queensland. T. martini 54–59: (54) Head & pronotum; (55) Meso­metanota; (56) Teneral female; (57) Sternites II–III; (58) Tergites VII–VIII; (59) Tergites III–IV.