Grass-dependent Thysanoptera of the family Thripidae from Australia
Author
Mound, Laurence A.
text
Zootaxa
2011
3064
1
40
journal article
46148
10.5281/zenodo.200567
dbb812a3-60dd-4f6f-bb48-9e2ce120221a
1175-5326
200567
Apterothrips
Bagnall
Of the two species recognised in this genus, only
A. apteris
is known from
Australia
. This species probably originated on the western coast of North
America
, but is now widespread round the coastal regions of South
America
to the
Falkland Islands
and across the southern ocean to
Australia
and
New Zealand
. This dispersal was probably effected by the whaling industry. Although commonly taken from the leaves of grasses,
A. apteris
is associated with
Erigeron
in coastal California, and has been found damaging lucerne in Western
Australia
, and garlic in Tasmania. The second species in the genus,
A. secticornis
, presumably originated in the northern part of the Holarctic. The two species can be distinguished because the sternal craspeda of
A. apteris
have five lobes, whereas the sternal craspeda of
A. secticornis
have seven lobes (
Mound & Marullo, 1996
).