Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body and legs light brown, tarsi and tibiae mainly yellow; antennal segments I–II and IV–VIII brown, III paler but with apex shaded; fore wing pale with median brown band. Head wider than long, with transverse lines on posterior third, ocellar region without sculpture; ocellar setae III anterior to posterior ocelli, just outside triangle; eyes with 6 weakly pigmented facets. Antennae 8-segmented, III–IV with sense cone forked; II–III without microtrichia; VI weakly pedicellate; VIII longer than VII. Pronotum almost without sculpture; with no long setae. Mesonotum with few transverse lines. Metascutum irregularly reticulate, median setae behind anterior margin; campaniform sensilla present medially. Fore wing first vein with about 7 setae on basal half, 2 setae medially, 2 setae distally; second vein with 8–9 setae including 1–2 basal to vein fork; clavus with 6 veinal setae including one seta at base. Tergites I–II fully sculptured medially, III–VI with faint lines between median setae; VIII with comb long but irregular, spiracles large.
Male unknown.

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. Despite the enlarged spiracles on tergites I and VIII, the shape of the head in this species with 8-segmented antennae suggests that it is not related to the grass-living members of Anaphothrips. The pale fore wing with a transverse shaded band is particularly unusual.

Biological data

Adults were collected by fogging Nothofagus moorei [Fagaceae].

Distribution data

Recorded only from Queensland.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Anaphothrips nimbus Mound & Masumoto

Original name and synonyms

Anaphothrips nimbus Mound & Masumoto, 2009: 46.

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