Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body dark brown, tarsi and apices of tibiae yellow, also apex of antennal segment III; fore wings brown with base pale. Antennae 8-segmented; segments III–IV with apex narrowed, bearing long forked sense cone. Head wider than long, with 2 pairs of ocellar setae; pair III anterolateral to, and shorter than side of, ocellar triangle. Pronotum with strong transverse sculpture lines, no long setae. Metanotum with transverse sculpture, median setae arising behind anterior margin. Prosternal ferna complete; mesofurcal spinula present, metafurcal spinula faint. Fore wing first vein with 2 setae distally, second vein with at least 15 setae. Tergites without sculpture medially, lateral thirds with many transverse lines; VIII with regular comb of long microtrichia; X without longitudinal split. Sternite VII with 2 pairs of median setae arising well in front of posterior margin.
Male macroptera. Similar to female; tergite IX without stout setae; sternites III–VII each with a pair of pore plates.

Related species

Dichromothrips includes 18 species from orchids in the Old World tropics, and an identification key to 14 of these is given by Mound (1976). D. corbetti differs from the other members of the genus in having no elongate posteroangular setae on the pronotum, in contrast to the other species that have either one or two pairs of elongate posteroangular setae.

Biological data

Feeding and breeding on the leaves and flowers of cultivated orchids, including Vanda spp.

Distribution data

Originally from the Oriental rebion, but widespread around the world on cultivated orchids, including Australia (Northern Territory and Queensland).

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Dichromothrips corbetti (Priesner)

Original name and synonyms

Anaphothrips corbetti Priesner, 1936: 209

References

Mound LA (1976) Thysanoptera of the genus Dichromothrips on Old World Orchidaceae. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 8: 245–265.