Distinguishing features

Female macropterous; strongly bicoloured, head and thorax dark brown, abdomen yellow; legs and antennal segments III–V yellw; fore wing slender, uniformly pale or a little darker at base, with no long setae. Antennae 7-segmented, V–VII form single unit; sensoria on III and IV slender, each with one simple sensorium. Head constricted behind eyes. Metanotum with prominent narrow triangular area, slightly prolonged at posterior. Median pair of tergal setae minute; VIII with no comb; one pair of posteromarginal ssetae on IX extends beyond apex of X. Male tergite IX without stout dorsal setae; pore plate present near anterior margin of sternites III–VII.

Related species

Three species are described in this genus. P. rugosus from Malaysia has a distinctive elongate head that is constricted behind the eyes. In contrast, P. peringueyi from South Africa and India (Wilson, 1975), and P. longiceps from countries further east, are very similar in structure. They are distinguished because the base of the fore wing is much darker in the western populations than in those from the eastern populations, but it is far from clear that this is a valid or stable distinction. Populations in northwestern Australia are intermediate in colour, and males in these populations have much smaller sternal pore plates than males from other populations.

Biological data

Adults and larvae live and breed on the leaves of various grasses.

Distribution data

Widespread across tropical Australia, and recorded from New Guinea, and Fiji.

Family name

THRIPIDAE, PANCHAETOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Phibalothrips longiceps(Karny)

Original name and synonyms

Heliothrips longiceps Karny, 1913: 123
Phibalothrips exilis Hood, 1918: 125.

References

ThripsWiki (2020) Thrips Wiki-providing information on the World’s thrips. Available from: http://thrips.info/wiki/Main Page [accessed 28.viii.2019].

Wilson TH (1975) A monograph of the subfamily Panchaetothripinae (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 23: 1–354.