Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Body whitish yellow with interantennal projection variably brown, and pronotum usually with paired longitudinal brown markings; fore wings light brown with apex paler; antennae pale brown with segments IV–VI sometimes yellow at base. Head wider than long, finely reticulate between ocelli; ocellar setae pair III small, arising between anterior margins of posterior ocelli. Antennae 9-segmented; segments III–IV with long forked sense cone, segment VI inner margin with long sense cone arising close to base. Pronotum with narrow transverse reticulation but no markings between the main striae; posterior margin with three pairs of setae and one pair of longer posteroangular setae. Metanotum with closely spaced longitudinal striae, median pair of setae small and far distant from anterior margin. Fore wing first vein with two widely spaced setae on distal half, second vein without setae; wing apex with one stout seta; cilia arise ventrally close to anterior margin. Tergites with median pair of setae longer than distance between their bases; sculpture on lateral thirds with short longitudinal lines giving appearance of microtrichia; posterior margin of VIII with complete comb; tergite IX with setal pair S3 clearly stouter than S1 and S2; tergite X with no longitudinal split.

Related species

The genus Pseudodendrothrips includes 20 described species, but the significance of some of the species in which the body colour is mainly yellow remains conjectural. P. darci is similar in structure to P. bhatti Kudo from Japan, but has a pair of longitudinal dark marking on the pronotum, and a stout pair of setae laterally on tergite IX. Also very similar is the uniformly pale species P. mori (Niwa), and these three species sometimes share the same Moraceae host plants (Masumoto & Okajima, 2017).

Biological data

Found breeding on the leaves of various tree species in the family Moraceae, including Ficus virens, F. opposita, F. coronata, and Morus sp.

Distribution data

Widespread across northern Australia from Cairns to Kununurra, but also studied from Bangkok [Thailand] and Kolkata [India].

Family name

THRIPIDAE - DENDROTHRIPINAE

Species name

Pseudodendrothrips darci (Girault)

Original name and synonyms

Proscirtothrips darci Girault, 1930: 1

References

Masumoto M & Okajima S (2017) Studies on Dendrothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) from Japan, with new records and one new species. Zootaxa 4362 (3): 405–420.

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.