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; 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 strongly reticulate, reticles transverse with internal markings, discal setae weakly spatulate, posterior margin with four pairs of strongly spatulate setae. Metanotum with elongate reticulation, median pair of setae near anterior margin. Fore wing first and second veins with few widely spaced setae; costal setae strongly spatulate, wing apex with one stout seta, cilia arise ventrally behind 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 three are from Australia and the fourth from Sulawesi. The genus is similar to Dendrothrips in the structure of the metathorax and hind coxae, also the position of the forewing cilia, but the wing apex bears a stout seta. This species differs from E. primus in having shorter setae on the posterior margin of the pronotum and also on the veins of the fore wing, in more transverse reticulation on the pronotum, and in lacking tuberculate sculpture in the ocellar triangle.

Biological data

Breeding on the leaves of Trophis scandens [Moraceae].

Distribution data

Known only from Lord Howe Island.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - DENDROTHRIPINAE

Species name

Ensiferothrips secundus Mound

Original name and synonyms

Ensiferothrips secundus Mound, 1999: 268

References

Mound LA (1999) Saltatorial leaf-feeding Thysanoptera (Thripidae, Dendrothripinae) in Australia and New Caledonia, with newly recorded pests of ferns, figs and mulberries. Australian Journal of Entomology 38: 257–273.

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.