Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Female dark brown; fore tarsi and apices of fore femora paler; antennal segment III yellow at extreme base; wings pale brown but darker around sub-basal setae. Head elongate, as long as tube, finely sculptured; ocelli well developed; compound eyes slightly smaller ventrally than dorsally; 1 pair of postocellar setae; 1 pair of longer preocellar setae; postocular setae wide apart. Antennae 7-segmented; segments III and IV each with 2 sense cones. Pronotum finely sculptured on lateral margins; posteroangular and epimeral setae long, fine; prosternal basantra absent; mesopresternum broad. Mesonotum broadly transverse, with a pair of mid-lateral setae; metanotum elongate, striate laterally, reticulate in median area. Fore tarsal tooth present. Fore wings parallel-sided, with 3 major subbasal setae and 29–38 duplicated cilia. Pelta with median lobe almost pointed on anterior margin, lateral lobes elongate; tergite II eroded laterally, without posteroangular setae, sculptured in median area; tergites II–VII with 1 pair of sigmoid wing-retaining setae; tergite IX posteromarginal setae more than half as long as tube; tube long, constricted at apex, anal setae about half as long as tube.
Male similar to female, variable in size; fore femora and fore tarsal tooth large in large individuals.

Related species

Eight species are listed in this genus, of which five are from New Zealand, two from South Africa and one from Saudi Arabia. H. tonnoiri is closely related to H. tillyardi, but the latter has the tube distinctly longer and the fore wings differently coloured. These two species are interesting in that no changes in body form accompany the considerable individual size variation.

Biological data

Feeding on fungal spores, this species has been collected from dead twigs only in native forests.

Distribution data

Known only from New Zealand and from few specimens (ND / SD, SL).

Family name

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, IDOLOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Heptathrips tonnoiri Moulton

Original name and synonyms

Heptathrips tonnoiri Moulton, 1942: 3

References

Mound LA & Palmer JM (1983) The generic and tribal classification of spore-feeding Thysanoptera (Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 46: 1–174.

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