Distinguishing features

Macropterous, strongly bicoloured, mainly brown with anterior margin of pronotum yellow, also all tarsi yellow and tibiae extensively yellow; abdominal segments III–VI yellowish brown with dark antecostal ridge; fore wing with three dark and three pale bands, apex pale. Head with occipital ridge not close to eyes; ocellar triangle with irregular reticulation; ocellar setae III on anterior margins of triangle; three pairs of postocular setae, median pair long and arising laterally. Pronotal sculpture mainly transverse, blotch deeply emarginate posteriorly. Metanotal sculpture linear on posterior half. Metasternal plate with anterior emargination shallow. Tergites II–VI with no marginal comb medially. Sternites fully covered with microtrichia, posterior margins with groups of long microtrichia between bases of marginal setae.
Male with pore plate on sternite VII only.

Related species

The genus Neohydatothrips comprises 118 species worldwide, and N. samayunkur differs from the Australian native species of Neohydatothrips in having the occipital ridge on the head well separated from the posterior margins of the compound eyes. This species was incorrectly misidentified as the Mexican species, N. pseudoannulipes, by Mound et al. (1996).

Biological data

Feeding and breeding on leaves and in flowers of Tagetes species [Asteraceae].

Distribution data

Recorded from Mexico, El Salvador, California, Florida, Hawaii, Japan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Kenya, and eastern Australia

Family name

THRIPIDAE - SERICOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Neohydatothrips samayunkur (Kudo)

Original name & synonyms

Hydatothrips (Neohydatothrips) samayunkur Kudo, 1995: 169

References

Mound LA, Goodwin S & Steiner MY (1996) Neohydatothrips pseudoannulipes Johansen (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), a Pest Thrips on African Marigolds New to Australia, with One New Synonym. Australian Journal of Entomology 35: 201–202.

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