Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body and legs yellow, antennal segments I–II yellow, III–V increasingly brown at apex, VI–VIII brown; fore wings and major setae pale. Head transverse, transversely reticulate on posterior third, weakly reticulate between ocelli; ocellar setae III just outside anterior margins of triangle; eyes without pigmented facets. Antennae 8-segmented; III–IV with forked sense cone; II without microtrichia; VI weakly pedicellate. Pronotum with irregular reticulation, posteromarginal setae thickened but no long setae. Mesonotum boldly reticulate. Metascutum boldly reticulate, sometimes with weak internal markings; median setae on anterior third of sclerite, campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing first vein with about 8 setae on basal half and 4 setae on distal half, arranged irregularly; second vein with up to 12 setae including 1–3 setae basal to vein fork; clavus with 7–8 veinal setae and one basal seta; wing setae all more or less spatulate. Tergites III–VII without sculpture medially, lateral thirds with up to 12 rows of stout, dentate microtrichia, sculpture extending just mesad of setae S2; VIII with comb of moderately long fine microtrichia; tergite IX major setae with apices chisel-shaped.
Male macroptera. Similar to female; tergite IX with 3 pairs of short stout setae dorsally, and two pairs of longer stout setae posterolaterally; sternites III–VII with slender C-shaped pore plate.

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 as in A. parsonsiae, but several species have an intermediate condition with segment VI bearing a partial and often oblique transverse suture. Spatulate setae, as on the fore wing of A. parsonsiae, are found also on the thorax and head of a few other Australian species of Anaphothrips.

Biological data

Feeding and breeding on the leaves and flowers of Parsonsia spp. [Apocynaceae].

Distribution data

Recorded from Queensland and Australian Capital Territory.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Anaphothrips parsonsiae Mound & Masumoto

Original name and synonyms

Anaphothrips parsonsiae Mound & Masumoto, 2009: 49.

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