Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Body mainly brown with red internal pigment, abdomen paler; fore wings pale at base, middle and apex, with two transverse dark bands; antennae brown with segments III–V yellow but sometimes with apices brown; tarsi and apices of tibiae yellow. Head wider than long, reticulate between ocelli; ocellar setae pair III long and spatulate, arising close to anterior margins of ocellar triangle. Antennae 9-segmented; segments III–IV with small forked sense cone, segment VI inner margin with long sense cone arising medially. Pronotum with strong equiangular reticulation, reticles with internal markings, discal setae weakly spatulate, posterior margin with three pairs of strongly spatulate setae, submedian pair small. Metanotum with elongate reticulation, median pair of setae distant from anterior margin. Fore wing first and second veins with few widely spaced large setae, four of these setae black and strongly ridged; costal setae spatulate but slender, wing apex with one stout seta, cilia arise ventrally near anterior margin. Tergites with median pair of setae longer than distance between their bases; posterior margin of VIII with complete comb; tergite X with no longitudinal split.

Related species

The genus Ensiferothrips comprises four species, of which primus is particularly similar to wallacei from Sulawesi. The genus is similar to Dendrothrips in the structure of the metathorax and hind coxae, also the position of the fore wing cilia, but the wing apex bears a stout seta. This species differs from E. secundus in having the submedian pair of setae on the posterior margin of the pronotum much shorter than the median pair, and in having remarkably stout veinal setae on the fore wing.

Biological data

Breeding on the leaves of Trophis scandens, and also Streblus spp. [Moraceae].

Distribution data

Described originally from New Caledonia, but widespread in eastern Queensland and New South Wales, as well as Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island (Mound & Wells, 2015).

Family name

THRIPIDAE - DENDROTHRIPINAE

Species name

Ensiferothrips primus Bianchi

Original name and synonyms

Ensiferothrips primus Bianchi, 1945: 266

References

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2016) Genera of the leaf-feeding Dendrothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), with new species from Australia and Sulawesi, Indonesia. Zootaxa 4109 (5): 569–582.

Mound LA & Wells A (2015) Endemics and adventives: Thysanoptera (Insecta) Biodiversity of Norfolk, a tiny Pacific Island. Zootaxa 3964 (2): 183–210.