Print Fact SheetMymarothrips bicolor

Distinguishing features

Female macropterous, bicoloured, with characteristic raquet-shaped forewings. Legs yellow; body brown, thorax and abdominal segments I–II sharply yellow, pronotum and head brown laterally but yellow medially; antennal segments dark brown; fore wing pale with large transverse dark area. Head weakly prolonged in front of eyes with one pair of prominent setae, also two pairs of postocular seta longer than an ocellus; distal maxillary palp sub-divided. Antennae 9-segmented, III–VII moniliform but almost quadrate with prominent setae, VIII–IX small; sensoria on III–IV transverse ventrally at apex. Pronotum with several pairs of long setae. Mesonotum and metanotum with no sculpture. Fore wing base slender, apex broadly rounded. Sternites IV–VI with 4 pairs of marginal setae, usually without discal setae. 
Male similar to female but head, body and legs brown; sensorium on antennal segments III–IV prolonged dorsally on both sides then recurved ventrally at base; abdominal tergite I without paired longitudinal ridges; sternites VIII–IX each with about 10 discal setae.

Related species

Five species have been described in the Old World genus Mymarothrips, of which two of are now placed into synonymy. However, even the remaining three may be no more than colour variants of a single widespread species (Mound & Marullo, 1998). These three species, M. ritchianus from Africa, M. garuda from India and southern China, and M. bicolor from Indonesia and northern Australia, exhibit slight differences from each other in the extent of shading on the fore wings. The basal half of the fore wing of M. garuda has the anterior and posterior margins dark with a pale longitudinal area between these, also the subapical dark band is smaller than in M. bicolor, and the wing apex is more extensively dark.

Biological data

Found living on mango leaves near Darwin, adults of both sexes are thought to be predatory onthe larvae of Selenothrips rubrocinctus.

Distribution data

Described from the island of Krakatau, Indonesia, but recorded around Darwin, Northern Territory.

Family name

AEOLOTHRIPIDAE

Species name

Mymarothrips bicolor zur Strassen

Original name and synonyms

Mymarothrips bicolor zur Strassen, 1992: 115

References

Mound LA & Marullo R (1998) Biology and identification of Aeolothripidae (Thysanoptera) in Australia. Invertebrate Taxonomy 12: 929–950.