Print Fact SheetPseudodendrothrips alexei

Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Body pale brown with red internal pigment; fore wings uniformly shaded; antennae pale brown with segments IV–VI yellow at base; tarsi and apices of tibiae yellow. Head wider than long, finely sculptured between ocelli; ocellar setae pair III long and fluted, arising close to anterior margins of ocellar triangle. Antennae 8-segmented; segments III–IV with small forked sense cone, segment VI inner margin with long sense cone arising at some distance from base. Pronotum with narrow transverse reticulation and many markings between the main striae, discal setae weakly spatulate, posterior margin with two pairs of setae and one pair of longer posteroangular setae.  Metanotum with closely spaced longitudinal striae, median pair of setae 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 near 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 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 (Mound & Tree, 2007).  P. alexei is recognisable because the fore wings are uniformly shaded, rather than pale or banded, and the ocellar setae are unusually stout. Specimens from Australia have been studied of one or more unidentified species of Pseudodendrothrips that have dark forewings but with the base pale.

Biological data

Found breeding on the leaves of Maclura cochinchinesis [Moraceae].

Distribution data

Known only from southeastern Queensland.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - DENDROTHRIPINAE

Species name

Pseudodendrothrips alexei Mound & Tree

Original name and synonyms

Pseudodendrothrips alexei Mound & Tree, 2007: 10

References

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2007) Oriental and Pacific Thripidae (Thysanoptera) new to Australia, with a new species of Pseudodendrothrips Schmutz. Australian Entomologist 34: 7–14.

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.