Distinguishing features

Female macropterous; body brown to yellowish brown, abdomen often yellow, antennal segments I-VI largely yellow with brown apices; tarsi yellow, hind tibiae yellow with small brown area, mid and fore tibiae yellow at base and apex; fore wings brown with small pale cross bands subasally, medially and at apex. Head with cheeks convex. Antennae 8-segmented, III and IV with sensorium simple, VIII twice as long as VII. Pronotum reticulate, anterior angles flattened and protruding. Pterothorax and abdominal segment II strongly constricted to a wasp waist. Mesonotum with median longitudinal division. Metanotum with indistinct sculptured triangle, with one pair of major setae arising near anterior margin. Fore wing curved forward at apex, first vein with about five dark setae and two setae distally; second vein with a row of widely spaced setae. Abdominal tergite II with extensive anterolateral areas of recurved claw-like microtrichia; tergites and sternites III-VII with paired submedian areas of areolar sculpture; VIII with broad crapsedum, setae less than half length of X; median split on X complete.
Male not known.

Related species

Only one species is placed in this genus (ThripsWiki, 2019). This is distinguished from several genera, such as Elixothrips and Astrothrips, on character states that are probably rather trivial, such as the length of the microtrichia on the fore wing veins, and the sculpture of the tergites at the insertion points of the dorso-ventral abdominal muscles (Wilson, 1975).

Biological data

Presumably breeding on leaves, with adults collected from various plants. However, there are few records of larvae, and the species is probably polyphagous.

Distribution data

Described from Surinam, and widespread in Carribean islands to southern Florida; also recorded from Azores, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Fiji, New Zealand, eastern Australia (between Taree in NSW and Cape Tribulation in Qld).

Family name

THRIPIDAE, PANCHAETOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Anisopilothrips venustulus (Priesner)

Original name and synonyms

Heliothrips venustulus Priesner, 1923: 89
Astrothrips angulatus Hood, 1925: 50.

References

Mound L, Hoddle MS & Hastings A (2019) Thysanoptera Californica. An identification and information system to thrips in California. Lucidcentral.org, Identic Pty Ltd, Queensland, Australia. https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/thrips_of_california_2019/

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.