Distinguishing features

Female fully winged. Body and antennae brown; tibiae and tarsi paler; fore wings shaded; major setae dark. Head relatively small, wider than long; ocellar setae pair I present, pair III on anterolateral margins of ocellar triangle. Antennae 8-segmented; segments III and IV each with forked sense cone. Pronotum wider posteriorly than at anterior margin, with 2 pairs of long posteroangular setae and 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae; prosternal ferna continuous medially. Metanotum reticulate with median setae at anterior margin. Fore wing 1st vein usually with 1 median seta and 2 distal setae. Tergites VII and VIII with several lines of sculpture between median setae; tergite VIII without a posteromarginal comb, but with a few discal microtrichia near the spiracles. Sternites without discal setae.
Male wingless, without ocelli; pale brown, with antennal segments III–VIII dark. Pteronota and tergites with closely spaced, fine, transverse lines of sculpture, tergites with 2 pairs of major discal setae. Sternites III–VIII with 1 long and 2 short transverse pore plates.

Related species

This is European species is the only member of the genus Ceratothrips. It resembles Frankliniella species in the following characters: median pair of metanotal setae close to the anterior margin; antennae eight-segmented; and ocellar setae pair I present. However, in contrast to Frankliniella species the fore wing first vein has few setae, and the abdominal tergites lack ctenidia.

Biological data

Feeding abd breeding in the flowers of Ericaceae.

Distribution data

Widespread and common in Europe, in New Zealand it has been collected in large numbers from Erica tetralix at a site near the western margin of Lake Taupo (TO) in February 1979, and from Calluna vulgaris flowers in the Tongariro National Park (TO). Two specimens were taken just south of Turangi (TO).

Family name

THRIPIDAE, THRIPINAE

Species name

Ceratothrips ericae (Haliday)

Original name and synonyms

Thrips ericae Haliday, 1836: 448
Oxythrips parviceps Uzel, 1895: 139
Thrips piceicornis Reuter, 1899: 60
Ceratothrips trybomi Reuter, 1899: 65
Amblythrips ericae Bagnall, 1911: 4
Oxythrips brevicollis Bagnall, 1911: 6
Oxythrips pallens Priesner, 1919: 89
Amblythrips ericicola Bagnall, 1927: 573
Taeniothrips adusta Maltbaek, 1929: 376
Amblythrips remaudierei Bournier, 1975: 137

References

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

zur Strassen R (2003) Die terebranten Thysanopteren Europas und des Mittelmeer-Gebietes. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 74: 1–271.