Distinguishing features

Female macropterous; body yellowish brown, pterothorax darker laterally; antennal segments I, III–V and basal half of VI yellow, brown on II, VII and apex of VI; tarsi and tibiae yellow; fore wing brown with transverse white bands sub-basally, medially and at apex. Head with cheeks convex, constricted at base; ocellar region elevated. Antennae 8-segmented, III and IV with sensorium simple, VIII twice as long as VII. Pronotum with six pairs of large, translucent, spatulate setae. Metanotum reticulate medially, one pair of spatulate major setae arising at anterior margin. Tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing veins with complete rows of long setae, costal setae more than twice as long as wing width. Abdominal segment II strongly constricted, anterolateral areas with many recurved, claw-like microtrichia; tergite VII with pair of weakly sigmoid wing-retaining setae; setae on IX as long as tergite X; median split on X complete, terminal setae elongate.

Related species

Only one species is placed in this genus. This differs from the other genera related to Astrothrips in that the tarsi are 2-segmented and the metanotal major setae arise close to the anterior margin of that sclerite.

Biological data

Host plants

Feeding and breeding on leaves and presumably polyphagous; taken from Piper myristicum on Pohnpei, also damaging the leaves of both Aglaonema and Spathoglottis at Darwin, Australia .

Distribution data

Taiwan, Seychelles, Pacific Islands, northern Australia and Christmas Island.

Family name

THRIPIDAE, PANCHAETOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Copidothrips octarticulatus (Schmutz)

Original name and synonyms

Heliothrips (Parthenothrips) octarticulatus Schmutz, 1913: 993
Copidothrips formosus Hood, 1954: 190
Mesostenothrips kraussi Stannard & Mitri, 1962: 211.

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.