Distinguishing features

Female fully winged or apterous. Body pale brown; tarsi, tibiae, tergite IX, and tube yellow; fore wings weakly shaded; major setae pale. Head strongly constricted behind eyes into an apodeme; ocelli present; postocular setae finely acute, about as long as distance between their bases; maxillary stylets about one-third of head width apart, retracted about halfway to postocular setae, 'V'-shaped, with a weak maxillary bridge. Antennal segment III with 1 sense cone (plus 1 small inner cone), segment IV with 2 sense cones. Pronotum lacking sculpture; setae finely acute; prosternal basantra absent. Metanotum weakly sculptured laterally, no sculpture medially, median setae small. Fore tarsal tooth absent. Fore wings lacking duplicated cilia; sub-basal setae acute, subequal. Pelta faintly sculptured, without lateral lobes; tergites II–VII each with 1 pair of wing-retaining setae, on II almost as small as median setae, on III–VII weakly sigmoid; tergite IX posteromarginal setae S1 finely acute, more than half as long as tube; sternites with a row of up to 4 pairs of discal setae. Female aptera with antennal segment III often lacking small inner sense cone; mesopresternum eroded; mesonotum and metanotum broader; pelta occasionally bearing small lateral lobes, often eroded on posterior margin.
Male aptera similar to female, ocelli absent; fore tarsal tooth present; tergite IX posteromarginal setae S2 short, stout; sternite VIII with transverse pore plate.

Related species

The genus Psalidothrips comprises 28 described species, all from tropical countries. However, there is a series of undescribed species in Australia, and the three members of the genus recorded from New Zealand are closely related to these Australian species. P. moeone is unusual in having a particularly strong apodeme behind the compound eyes.

Biological data

This species lives in leaf litter where it presumably feeds on fungal hyphae.

Distribution data

Known only from New Zealand (AK, BP, GB, HB / SD, BR, WD).

Family name

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, PHLAEOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Psalidothrips moeone Mound & Walker

Original name and synonyms

Psalidothrips moeone Mound & Walker, 1986: 74

References

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