Distinguishing features

Female fully winged. Body almost white, wings pale, antennal segments V–VIII dark brown. Head wider than long; ocellar setae minute, pair III arise between posterior ocelli. Antennae 8-segmented; segments III–IV with short forked sense cone; segment VI external margin with long sense cone arising medially. Pronotum with little sculpture, only near posterior margin; 5 pairs of posteromarginal setae, the lateral pairs slightly larger and spatulate. Metanotum reticulate, median pair of setae far behind anterior margin. Fore wing with veinal setae minute, microtrichia on veins stout, cilia arising ventrally but close to anterior margin. Median pair of tergal setae small; VIII with posteromarginal comb of small microtrichia; major setae on IX very short and arising from pair of small tubercles, tergite X with no longitudinal split.

Related species

The genus Asprothrips includes eight species, all originally from southeast Asia. The body colour varies from uniformly white in A. seminigricornis to uniformly brown in some species, and bicoloured in two species (Wang & Tong, 2017). The genus is unusual among the Dendrothripinae because, although the metathorax and hind coxae are similar to those of Dendrothrips species, the tergal median setae are small and wide apart, and the fore wing cilia arise ventrally but close to the anterior margin (Mound, 1999). These character states are shared with the species of Edissa.

Biological data

Polyphagous and breeding on leaves; adults have been found on leaves of Gardenia, Citrus and Ricinus. On Norfolk Island it has been found with larvae on the young leaves of Peach [Prunus persica], Tung trees [Vernicia fordii], Granadilla [Passiflora ligularis], and Mulberry [Morus alba] (Mound & Wells, 2015).

Distribution data

Presumably originally from S.E. Asia, this species is recorded widely around the world, from Eastern Australia, Norfolk Island, Marquesas Islands, Hawaii, California, Bermuda, and New York.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - DENDROTHRIPINAE

Species name

Asprothrips seminigricornis (Girault)

Original name and synonyms

Euthrips seminigricornis Girault, 1926: 2
Scirtothrips antennatus Moulton, 1937: 409
Asprothrips raui Crawford JC, 1938: 110

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

ThripsWiki (2020) ThripsWiki - providing information on the World's thrips. Available from: http://thrips.info/wiki/Main_Page [accessed 12.xii.2019].

Wang ZH & Tong XL (2017) Variation in colour markings of an unusual new Asprothrips species from China (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). ZooKeys 716: 19–28.