Distinguishing features

Female microptera. Body and legs yellow, prominent setae shaded; antennal segment I yellow, II–V with distal half pale brown, VI–VIII brown. Head as long as wide, slightly overhanging antennal segment I; basal third with strong transverse reticulations; eyes with 6 pigmented facets; ocelli present or absent, ocellar setae III on anterior margins of triangle. Antennae 8-segmented, segment I without dorso-apical setae; III with sense cone simple, IV with sense cone forked; I without microtrichia; VI without pedicel. Pronotum with no long setae; with widely spaced anastomosing striae, irregular at middle. Mesonotum tranverse, campaniform sensilla present. Metascutum with median setae posteromedially; campaniform sensilla absent. Mesothoracic furca with spinula; metathoracic furca without spinula. Tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing lobe about as long as metascutum. Abdominal tergites without ctenidia or marginal craspeda; with strong transverse reticulation, VI–VIII median paired setae stout, extending to tergal posterior margin; VI–VII setae S3 as large as S4; VIII with no comb, spiracular area large, but not occupying half of tergite lateral margin.
Male microptera. Similar to female; tergite IX median setae slightly stout; sternites without pore plates.

Related species

No macropterae are known for A. aptilotus, and the species is unusual in lacking a comb on tergite VIII. There are 43 species of Anaphothrips known from Australia (Mound & Masumoto, 2009), out of a total of 86 species worldwide (ThripsWiki, 2020). Many of these species have the antennae clearly 9-segmented, some equally clearly have only 8 segments as in A. aptilotus, but several species have an intermediate condition with segment VI bearing a partial and often oblique transverse suture. The pronotal setae are short, and the fore wing clavus has no discal seta. Some species in this genus can be recognised only in the male sex.

Biological data

Adults and larvae found on leaves, and adults also in the flowers, of Cassinia spp. [Asteraceae], particularly C. tenuifolia and C. arcuata; also recorded from the flowers of Pultenaea (Fabaceae).

Distribution data

Recorded from New South Wales - Lord Howe Island, and Australian Capital Territory.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Anaphothrips aptilotus Mound & Masumoto

Original name and synonyms

Anaphothrips aptilotus Mound & Masumoto, 2009: 15.

References

Mound LA & Masumoto M (2009) Australian Thripinae of the Anaphothrips genus-group (Thysanoptera), with three new genera and thirty-three new species. Zootaxa 2042: 1–76. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2009/f/zt02042p076.pdf