Distinguishing features

Female aptera. Body, legs and antennae dark brown. Antennae 8-segmented, VI with partial, oblique suture producing an apparent 9-segmented condition; III–IV with simple sense cone. Head weakly reticulate, with no ocelli; ocellar setae III as long as diameter of 3 eye facets. Pronotum almost without sculpture medially, with no long setae. Meso and metanota transverse. Prosternal basantra with no setae; ferna continuous medially; meso and metafurca without spinula. Tergites with several lines of sculpture medially; posterior margin of I–VIII with well-developed craspedum; posteroangular setal pair arising in front of margin. Sternites III–VI with well-developed craspedum consisting of 5 lobes; VII with median craspedum lobe not developed, median pair of setae arising in front of margin.
Male aptera. Smaller and paler than female; sternite III antecostal region with transverse pore area opening into a large vesicle within the third abdominal segment; tergite VIII with 2 pairs of stout thorn-like setae.

Related species

Only two species are recognised in the genus Apterothrips. The second species, A. secticornis, has seven lobes to each sternal craspedum and is probably restricted to the northern hemisphere. The head and pronotum are similar to those of Anaphothrips species, but the lobed craspeda on the sternites are characteristic.

Biological data

Feeding and breeding on leaves of various plants, including Erigeron [Asteraceae], Medicago sativa [Fabaceae], Allium [Liliaceae], grasses [Poaceae].

Distribution data

Widespread south of California along western coast of South America; also Falkland Islands, New Zealand, Western Australia and Tasmania.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Apterothrips apteris (Daniel)

Original name and synonyms

Sericothrips apteris Daniel, 1904: 295
Sericothrips stanfordii Moulton, 1907: 43
Sericothrips ineptus Ahlberg, 1922: 271
Apterothrips delamarei Bournier, 1962: 231.

References

Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.