Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body brown with red internal pigment, tarsi and apices of tibiae yellow; antennae brown; fore wings brown with base pale. Antennae 8-segmented; segment I with paired dorso-apical setae; III–IV with stout forked sense cone, IV with long apical neck, V with 2 large flat sensoria. Head as wide as long, with 3 pairs of ocellar setae pair I close to inter-antennal projection; pair III long, arising between hind ocelli. Pronotum with 2 pairs of long posteroangular setae, 3 pairs of posteromarginal setae. Metanotum weakly reticulate medially, median pair of setae at anterior margin of sclerite, campaniform sensilla present. Mesofurca with spinula, metafurca without spinula. Fore wing first vein with almost complete row of setae variably interrupted sub-apically; second vein with complete row; clavus with 4–5 veinal and one discal setae. Tergites II–VIII with weakly lobed craspedum; V–VII with no sculpture medially. Sternites without discal setae, IV–VI with small craspedal lobe between marginal setae, VII with median marginal setae arising far ahead of margin.
Male not known.

Related species

The genus Craspedothrips currently includes ten species, all from the Palaeotropics. These species have two large and dagger-shaped sense cones on antennal segment V, and the apex of segment IV is prolonged and neck-like. Antennal segments III and IV are considerably shorter in minor than in antennalis.

Biological data

Probably breeding in flowers, with adults taken from Cassia [Caesalpiniaceae], Solanum melongena [Solanaceae], Lomandra longifolia [Laxmanniaceae], Plumbago zeylonica [Plumbaginaceae].

Distribution data

Recorded from India, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Australia (Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland).

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Craspedothrips minor (Bagnall)

Original name and synonyms

Physothrips minor Bagnall, 1921: 393
Physothrips thunbergiae Karny, 1923: 302
Toxothrips ricinus Bhatti, 1967: 16
Tsengothrips plumosa Chen, 1975: 107.

References

Mound LA, Masumoto M & Okajima S (2012) The Palaeotropical genus Craspedothrips, with new species from Africa and Malaysia (Thysanoptera, Thripinae). Zootaxa 3478: 49–61.

Mound LA & Tree DJ (2007) Oriental and Pacific Thripidae (Thysanoptera) new to Australia, with a new species of Pseudodendrothrips Schmutz. Australian Entomologist 34: 7–14.