Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body and legs yellow, abdominal tergites II–VII with pair of brown areas anterolaterally; antennal segment I white, II brown, III yellow, IV dark brown, V brown with basal third yellow, VI–IX brown; fore wings weakly shaded around vein fork and clavus apex; major setae on abdomen brown. Head wider than long, with transverse sculpture behind eyes extending weakly to ocellar region; eyes without pigmented facets; ocellar setae III vary in position, usually within triangle but sometimes on anterior margins. Antennae 9-segmented; II with few microtrichia, III–IV with sense cone forked; VI weakly pedicellate. Pronotum with transverse sculpture lines; with no long setae, numerous discal setae. Metascutum reticulate; median setae near anterior margin; campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing first vein with setal row irregular, about 12 setae on basal half, 4–6 on distal half, this row sometimes almost continuous; second vein with 18–22 setae including 2–4 basal to vein fork; clavus with 7–8 veinal setae and one at base. Abdominal tergites III–VII with no sculpture medially; irregular anastomosing lines laterally extending just mesad of setae S2, with few weak microtrichia; tergite VIII comb with long, slender teeth. Sternite VII setae S1 far anterior to posterior margin.
Male macroptera. Similar to female but usually without dark tergal markings; tergite VIII with long comb; IX with two pairs of long, thorn-like setae medially; sternites III–VII with C-shaped pore plates.

Related species

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, others clearly have only 8 segments, but several species have an intermediate condition with segment VI bearing a partial and often oblique transverse suture. This large species, with its strikingly bicoloured antennae and tergites, is presumably polyphagous.

Biological data

Flower living, and taken from Hibbertia scandens [Dilleniaceae], Pimelia latifolia [Thymeleaceae], Solanum mauritianum [Solanaceae], Helicia glabrifolia [Proteaceae], Lantana sp. [Verbenaceae], Breynia oblongifolia [Euphorbiaceae] and Synoum glandulosum [Meliaceae].

Distribution data

Recorded from Queensland and New South Wales.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Anaphothrips gillespiei Mound & Masumoto

Original name and synonyms

Anaphothrips gillespiei Mound & Masumoto, 2009: 37

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