Distinguishing features

Macropterous, strongly bicoloured; head brown with postoccipital region and anterior half of pronotum yellow; pronotal blotch and pteronota, also meso and metasternum, dark brown; abdominal segment I yellow with antecostal ridge interrupted medially, II–VI yellow scarcely shaded anterolaterally, antecostal ridge slightly darker, VII–X dark brown; legs mainly brown, hind tibiae variably yellow to brown, all tarsi yellow; fore wing with pale sub-basal area before light brown band but uniformly pale in distal half. Head with occipital carina close to eyes; ocellar triangle transversely striate with markings in between the striae; ocellar setae III within anterior margins of triangle; three pairs of postocular setae, median pair long; postoccipital region transversely striate; mouth cone unusually long, extending to mesosternum. Pronotum anterior third transversely reticulate with few internal markings; blotch transversely striate with many markings between the major lines; posterior margin of blotch deeply concave, posteromedian discal setae arise behind the dark area. Mesonotum and metanotum with many small linear markings between the major sculpture lines, metanotal reticulation irregular but mainly linear. Metasternal plate with anterior emargination shallow. Fore wing with no setae on second vein; wing apex with long sub-apical lobe. Tergites I–VI medially without marginal microtrichia; IV–V with few discal microtrichia medially. Sternites II–VII medially without marginal microtrichia, discal microtrichia not extending to setae S2.
Male similar to female, sternites V–VII with broadly transverse pore plate.

Related species

The genus Neohydatothrips comprises 118 species worldwide, and among the nine members of the genus known from Australia, N. katherinae appears to one of a group that is associated with the leaves of native Fabaceae, and in which the fore wing bears a sub-apical lobe. It is particularly close to N. haydni, but is distinguished particularly by the shape of the pronotal blotch.

Biological data

Recorded from Tephrosia species, and also other Fabaceae.

Distribution data

Northern Australia, between Katherine (Northern Territory) and Kununurra (Western Australia).

Family name

THRIPIDAE - SERICOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Neohydatothrips katherinae Mound & Tree

Original name & synonyms

Neohydatothrips katherinae Mound & Tree, 2009: 18

References

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