Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body, legs and antennae brown to dark brown, antennal segment III paler; fore wings with two broad brown cross-bands with median paler area often deeply shaded, basal area clear. Antennae 9-segmented, segment I with weakly serrate process variable in length; segment III parallel-sided; sensoria on III–IV incomplete dorsally; IX longer than VIII. Head with ocellar setae III long, arising just within anterior margins of triangle; three pairs of long postocular setae present. Pronotum with numerous microtrichia, with about 10 pairs of discal setae, anteromedian pair long and stout; posterior angles with 2 pairs of long setae. Mesonotum with long lateral setae, microtrichia present except anterior to anterior pair of campaniform sensilla. Metanotum with concentric lines at anterior bearing microtrichia. Fore wing setae almost as long as distance between veins. Fore tibial apex with two stout ventro-lateral setae. Abdominal tergites II–VI with no sculpture lines or microtrichia medially; tergite VIII median setae more than 0.5 as long as tergite; dorsal setae on IX–X long. Sternite II with 2 pairs of posteromarginal setae, sternites III–VII with 4 pairs; median sternites with about 12 discal setae, sternite VII with discal setae laterally but not medially.
Male not known.

Related species

Twelve species are currently described in the genus Cranothrips, 11 from Australia and one from South Africa (Pereyra & Mound, 2009). The type species of the genus, C. poultoni has the fore wings clearly banded, but in structure the species is closely related to C. ravidus and C. lauriei.

Biological data

Breeding in the flowers of Grevillea glabrata [Proteaceae], and presumably pupating at soil level.

Distribution data

Western Australia, near Perth

Family name

MELANTHRIPIDAE

Species name

Cranothrips poultoni Bagnall

Original name and synonyms

Cranothrips poultoni Bagnall, 1915: 316

References

Mound LA & Marullo R (1998) Biology and identification of Aeolothripidae (Thysanoptera) in Australia. Invertebrate Taxonomy 12: 929–950.

Pereyra V & Mound LA (2009) Phylogenetic relationships within the genus Cranothrips (Thysanoptera, Melanthripidae) with consideration of host associations and disjunct distributions within the family. Systematic Entomology 34: 151–161.