Distinguishing features

Female macropterous; body brown, but abdomen yellow in teneral specimens; fore wing shaded with traingular pale area in basal third; femora brown, tibiae and tarsi yellow; antennae brown, segments I and III–V mainly yellow. Head reticulate with markings inside some reticles, neck regionstrongly constricted. Antenna 8-segmented, segments III and IV each with long forked sensorium. Pronotum with transverse markings, metanotum with prominent triangular area. Fore wing longest costal setae about three times as long as wing width. Abdominal tergite II with prominent parallel ridges anterolaterally; tergites IX with an array of stout setae, X elongate with dorsal longitudinal split complete. Male without thorn-like setae on tergite IX; sternites III–VI with slender transverse pore plate.

Related species

Although seven species are listed in this genus, they cannot all be distinguished satisfactorily (Mound & Postle, 2004). One species is widespread in tropical Africa, the other six have been described from the Oriental region, between India, Japan, Philippines and northern Australia. The species described from orthern Australia, timonii, differs from indicus in having the median pair of setae (S1) on abdominal tergite III as long as the submedian pair (S2) instead of distinctly shorter.

Biological data

Adults and larvae live on mature leaves of Timonius timon (Rubiaceae), but not in flowers or young leaves.

Distribution data

Known only from the north of Western Australia

Family name

THRIPIDAE, PANCHAETOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Panchaetothrips timonii Mound & Postle

Original name and synonyms

Panchaetothrips timonii Mound & Postle, 2004: 136

References

Mound LA & Postle A (2004) Panchaetothrips timonii sp.n. (Thysanoptera, Thripidae); first Australian record of this Old World tropical genus. Australian Journal of Entomology 43: 133–137.