Distinguishing features

Females micropterous or fully winged. Body brown; antennal segment III yellowish; tibiae either entirely yellow or at least apical half yellow; tarsi yellow; major setae pale brown. Head similar to that of kohai, without sculpture; ocelli present; postocular setae capitate. Antennae 8-segmented; segment VIII as broad at base as VII at apex; III with 1 sense cone, IV with 3 sense cones. Pronotum elongate; anteromarginal setae very short; other major setae capitate; basantra present; mesopresternum tranverse; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Wing buds small, with 1–3 small capitate setae. Fore tarsal tooth very small. Pelta rounded at apex; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae, sigmoid from III to VI; tergite VIII postero-angular setae expanded at apex, posteromarginal setae blunt; tergite IX posteromarginal setae S1 nearly as long tube, with expanded apices, shorter than the finely pointed S2; setae S2 and S3 long, finely acute; tube shorter than head. Female macroptera similar, fore wings clear, slightly constricted medially, with 1–4 duplicated cilia.
Male not known.

Related species

Four species from New Zealand are placed in the genus Apterygothrips, but the 40 species currently placed in this genus possibly do not represent a single phylogenetic lineage. These species are similar to species of Haplothrips, but have only two or three sense cones on the fourth antennal segment, instead of four, the tergal wing-retaining setae are weak or absent, and the fore wing, if present, lacks duplicated cilia and is scarcely constricted medially. The third antennal segment bears two sense cones in A. viretrum but in the other three species from New Zealand this segment bears only one sense cone. A. sparsus is a darker brown than A. australis or A. kohai, and has three sense cones on the fourth antennal segment.

Biological data

Collected from sedges, and on Norfolk Island from kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum), but also collected from leaf litter and from bird's nests.

Distribution data

Described from New Zealand (ND, AK, HB / MB, CO), but subsequently reported from Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island (Mound & Wells, 2015).

Family name

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, PHLAEOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Apterygothrips sparsus Mound & Walker

Original name and synonyms

Apterygothrips sparsus Mound & Walker, 1986: 43

References

Mound LA & Walker AK (1986) Tubulifera (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Fauna of New Zealand 10: 1–140.

Mound LA & Wells A (2015) Endemics and adventives: Thysanoptera (Insecta) Biodiversity of Norfolk, a tiny Pacific Island. Zootaxa 3964 (2): 183–210.