Distinguishing features

Female micropterous. Body, legs and antennae brown to dark brown, with red internal pigments. Head weakly reticulate, with scattered small, acute setae; postocular setae short; compound eyes directed forwards, prolonged ventrally; maxillary stylets close together, extending to compound eyes. Antennae 7-segmented; segments III–VII with distinct pedicels; segments III and IV each with 2 stout sense cones. Pronotum faintly sculptured on anterior and posterior margins; major setae short and acute, scarcely twice as long as discal setae; epimeral setae short and broadly capitate. Basantra absent; mesopresternum transverse with median swelling, broadly fused to mesoeusternum anterior margin; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Metanotum broad, bearing up to 7 pairs of small discal setae. Fore tarsal tooth absent. Fore wing lobe small but variable in size,bearing up to 4 acute setae. Pelta faintly sculptured; tergite II with group of about 10 small setae medially; II–VII with weak transverse sculpture, each with 2 pairs of acute posteromarginal setae; tergite IX posteromarginal setae S1 and S2 capitate, almost as long as basal width of tube; sternites with a few small discal setae, marginal setae short.
Male not known.

Related species

Only one species is placed in the genus Walkerthrips. Described in Azaleothrips, the original authors indicated that this placement was not satisfactory because the pronotal setae are all slender and acute, unlike any of the species in Azaleothrips. Recognising this, Bhatti (1995) tranferred neatus to a new monobasic genus.

Biological data

Described from five micropterous females taken from "sward" in the Dunstan Range in 1971, another 12 females were taken together with larvae from hummock grassland a little further south at Old Man Range in 2001.

Distribution data

Known only from New Zealand (CO).

Family name

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, PHLAEOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Walkerthrips neatus (Mound & Walker)

Original name and synonyms

Azaleothrips neatus Mound & Walker, 1986: 45

References

Bhatti JS (1995) Studies on some Phlaeothripidae (Insecta: Tubulifera). Zoology (Journal of Pure and Applied Zoology) 5: 97–110.

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