Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Body brown to dark brown, fore tarsi and base of antennal segment III yellow; fore wing pale with base extensively shaded. Head slightly longer than wide; maxillary stylets one third of head width apart, retracted to postocular setae, maxillary bridge complete; postocular setae short and acute, usually not reaching posterior margin of compound eyes. Antennae 8-segmented, segment III with 2 sense cones, IV with 4 sense cones; VIII short and broad at base. Pronotal setae small and acute, anteromarginal and midlateral setae no longer than discal setae; prosternal basantra and ferna present, mesopresternum eroded to paired lateral triangles. Fore tarsal tooth minute in female. Fore wing constricted medially, with 7–12 duplicated cilia, sub-basal setae acute or blunt. Tergite IX setae S1 bluntly pointed, much shorter than tube, S2 acute.
Male with large fore tarsal tooth; tergite IX setae S2 short and stout; pseudovirga of aedeagus slender.

Related species

The genus Haplothrips comprises 240 described species worldwide, of which only four are recorded from New Zealand, and none of these seems to be endemic. H. leucanthemi is a European species that is particularly associated with the flowers of Chrysanthemum leucanthemum. A form of this species is associated with red clover flowers and has been known as H. niger, but this is considered to be a parthenogenetic strain of H. leucanthemi. This thrips is remarkable among Haplothrips species in having unusually short setae on the head and pronotum.

Biological data

Breeding and pupating within flowers, particularly Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (Asteraceae), but also Trifolium sp. (Fabaceae) and Plantago sp. (Plantaginaceae).

Distribution data

This species is widespread in New Zealand (ND, AK, WO, BP, TO, HB, WI, WA, WN / NN, BR, MB, KA, MC, MK, CO, SL). It occurs widely across the Northern Hemisphere, and is also known from southern Australia, Chile and Argentina.

Family name

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, PHLAEOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Haplothrips leucanthemi (Schrank)

Original name and synonyms

Thrips leucanthemi Schrank, 1781: 298
Phloeothrips niger Osborn, 1883: 154
Phloeothrips armatus Lindeman, 1887: 335
Phloeothrips obscuricornis Reuter, 1909: 20
Haplothrips trifolii Priesner, 1919: 130
Zygothrips wyomingensis Watson, 1923: 82

References

Minaei K & Mound LA (2008) The Thysanoptera Haplothripini (Phlaeothripidae) of Iran. Journal of Natural History 42: 2617–2658.