Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body, legs and antennae brown to dark brown, antennal segment III paler; fore wings uniformly pale to very weakly shaded. Antennae 9-segmented, segment I with strongly toothed 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 only on posterior half. 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 12–20 discal setae often arising close to posterior margin, 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). C. ravidus is likely to prove to be a widespread species across the northern part of Australia's arid zone. C. laurei is particularly closely related, and may be only a local variant.

Biological data

Breeding in the the flowers of its host, Banksia ?menziesii [Proteaceae], or some related species; a long series of both sexes was taken from the male flowers of an Allocasuarina species [Casuarinaceae] at Kalannie; presumably pupating at soil level.

Distribution data

Western Australia, between Perth and Kalannie

Family name

MELANTHRIPIDAE

Species name

Cranothrips ravidus Mound

Original name and synonyms

Cranothrips ravidus Mound, 1972: 43

References

Mound LA (1972) Further studies on Australian Aeolothripidae (Thysanoptera). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 11: 37–54.

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.