Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Sharply bicoloured alive, with white abdomen but extensive red internal in head and thorax. Body and legs largely pale; head extensively brown dorsally and ventrally but paler laterally; pronotum evenly light brown but paler on posterior third; antennal segments I and II as dark brown as head, III–IX light brown with III palest; fore wing basal third or quarter, also clavus, white in sharp contrast to dark median area that is gradually paler toward apex. Head weakly reticulate, ocellar setae III small arising just mesad of anterior margins of posterior ocelli; compound eyes with about 7 weakly pigmented facets. Antennae 9-segmented, sense cones on III and IV elongate, U-shaped; VI with sense cone arising close to base, VII clearly distinct from VI. Pronotum transversely reticulate, reticles with internal markings; posterior margin with 3 (sometimes 4) pairs of setae, outer 2 pairs longest. Mesonotal setae small, metanotal sculpture typical of genus. Fore wing with 7 veinal setae, clavus with 2 veinal and one discal setae; costal cilia arising almost at anterior margin; posterior cilia straight. Hind tarsi about 0.8 as long as hind tibiae. Tergites II–VIII lateral thirds with transverse rows of small longitudinal ridges, median setal pair long and close together; VIII with long marginal comb; IX and X with band of discal microtrichia on posterior third. Sternites transversely reticulate, III–VII with 3 pairs of marginal setae, II with 2 pairs, setae on VII arising sub-marginally.
Male similar to female but smaller and paler, head brown on at least anterior half, pronotum scarcely brown; fore wing basal pale area shorter than in female.

Related species

The genus Pseudodendrothrips includes 20 described species, but the significance of some of the paler species remains difficult to determine. However, the head of marissae is largely brown, and the dark fore wing with the basal fifth sharply paler distinguishes this species from other members of the genus in Australia.

Biological data

Breeding on the leaves of Ficus coronata [Moraceae], and possibly other species of this genus.

Distribution data

Known only from near the east coast of Australia, in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - DENDROTHRIPINAE

Species name

Pseudodendrothrips marissae Mound & Tree

Original name and synonyms

Pseudodendrothrips marissae Mound & Tree, 2016: 580.

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.