Distinguishing features

Macropterous, bicoloured, brown with pronotum largely yellow, tergites IV–V (sometimes VI) brownish yellow with dark antecostal line; legs variable from yellow to brown; fore wing light brown with pale sub-basal area. Head with occipital carina close to eyes; ocellar triangle weakly reticulate; ocellar setae III on anterior margins of triangle; only two pairs of postocular setae, median pair absent. Pronotum with anterior third boldly reticulate, blotch transversely reticulate. Metanotum with irregular linear sculpture, with some markings between the main lines; metasternal plate with deep U-shaped emargination. Fore wing with sub-apical lobe extending beyond base of terminal seta. Tergites II–VI with no marginal comb medially. Sternites V–VI with discal microtrichia continuous medially, posterior margins medially with no craspedum; sternite VII medially with neither median discal nor marginal microtrichia.
Male with large transversely oval pore plates on sternites V–VII.

Related species

Only three genera are currently recognised in the Sericothripinae (Lima & Mound, 2016), with Hydatothrips comprising 43 species worldwide (ThripsWiki, 2020). H. haschemi differs from the other Australian Hydatothrips species in having a sub-apical lobe on the fore wing that extends beyond the base of the terminal seta.

Biological data

Feeding and breeding on the leaves of species of various Fabaceae, including Centrosema, Calopogonium, Daviesia, Jacksonia.

Distribution data

Apparently widespread, recorded in Australia from Brisbane and Darwin, but also seen from Thailand.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - SERICOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Hydatothrips haschemi Girault

Original name & synonyms

Hydatothrips haschemi Girault, 1930: 2
Hydatothrips palawanensis Kudo, 1997: 336

References

Lima EFB & Mound LA (2016b) Systematic relationships of the Thripidae subfamily Sericothripinae (Insecta: Thysanoptera) Zoologischer Anzeiger 263: 24–32.

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2009b) Identification and host-plant associations of Australian Sericothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae). Zootaxa 1983: 1–22.

ThripsWiki (2020) ThripsWiki - providing information on the World's thrips. Available from: http://thrips.info/wiki/Main_Page [accessed 29.x.2019].