Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Body brown to dark brown, tarsi and fore tibiae paler; antennal segments III–V and basal half of VI yellow; fore wings light brown. Antennae 8-segmented; segments III–IV with short forked sense cone. Head with three pairs of ocellar setae, pair III slightly longer than distance between hind ocelli, arising just anterior to these ocelli. Pronotum with 2 pairs of long posteroangular setae; 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae. Metanotum weakly reticulate, posterior reticles forming distinctive arc at posterior margin; median setae arising at anterior margin; campaniform sensilla absent. Fore wing first vein with 2–4 setae on distal half; second vein with complete row of about 12 setae. Abdominal tergites III–VII with no sculpture medially; tergite VIII with no ctenidia but with several scattered microtrichia anterior to spiracle, posteromarginal comb absent medially but with short microtrichia laterally; tergite X with complete longitudinal split. Sternites without discal setae.
Male smaller than female; sternites III–VII with large oval pore plate occupying half the length of each sternite.

Related species

The genus Tenothrips was erected by Bhatti (1990c) and distinguished from the monotypic genus Ceratothrips. There are 19 species listed in Tenothrips, mainly from the Mediterranean region, but with several from North America that are sometimes placed in a separate genus Ewartithrips.

Biological data

Breeding in the flowers of various yellow-flowered Asteraceae.

Distribution data

Recorded only three times in Britain, in Devon, Kent, and Sussex, and not since 1970 (Mound et al., 1976). This species may be an example of a wind-borne occasional migrant from the south, as this species is widespread in southern Europe. It has been introduced around the world, to USA (California, Oregon, Washington, Georgia), Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Hawaii, New Zealand, and southern Australia (Mound & Walker, 1982; Mound & Marullo, 1996).

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Tenothrips frici (Uzel)

Original name and synonyms

Physopus frici Uzel, 1895: 126
Euthrips pallidicornis Karny, 1907: 45
Euthrips dalmatica Karny, 1907: 45
Physothrips brevicornis Bagnall, 1916: 220
Physothrips blacki Watson, 1919: 32
Taeniothrips frici f. alba Priesner, 1926: 291
Taeniothrips pallidivestis Priesner, 1926: 291
Taeniothrips frici f. fulva Knechtel, 1945: 457
Taeniothrips frici f. adusta Knechtel, 1945: 457
Taeniothrips persimilis Priesner, 1954: 51
Taeniothrips cibiniensis Knechtel, 1965: 133
Taeniothrips (Tenothrips) alis Bhatti, 1967: 18

References

Bhatti JS (1990c) The genera Ceratothrips and Tenothrips (Insecta: Terebrantia: Thripidae). Zoology (Journal of Pure and Applied Zoology) 2 (4): 201–204.

Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The thrips of Central and South America: an introduction (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–487.

Mound LA, Morison GD, Pitkin BR & Palmer JM (1976) Thysanoptera. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects 1 (11): 1–79.

Mound LA & Walker AK (1982) Terebrantia (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Fauna of New Zealand 1: 1–113.

Thrips of the British Isles