Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body and legs yellow but anterior margin of head brown; antennal segments III–V yellow, other segments brown; fore wing and clavus uniformly dark brown. Antennae 8-segmented; segment I without paired dorso-apical setae; III–IV each with slender forked sense cone (rarely not forked). Head reticulate around ocelli, eyes bulgin; ocellar setae pair I not present, pair III arising within triangle; mouth cone long. Pronotum faintly reticulate, slightly longer than wide, with no long setae. Metanotum weakly reticulate, median setae small and arising well behind anterior margin; campaniform sensilla absent. Prosternal ferna complete medially; mesofurca with spinula, metafurca without. Fore wing very slender, veinal setae minute; posterior fringe cilia wavy. Tergites with weak reticulate sculpture medially, median setal pair small, craspedum not developed; VIII with no marginal comb; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 long with expanded, fringed apices. Sternites reticulate, without discal setae or craspeda; VII with setae S1 arising just in front of margin.
Male macroptera. Similar to female; tergite IX with one pair of stout thorn-like setae; sternites III–VII each with transverse pore plate.

Related species

Only two species are known in the genus Indusiothrips (ThripsWiki, 2020), and nakaharai Wilson from Japan is distinguished by its uniformly pale antennae and wings.

Biological data

Associated with fern sporangia, and reported to feed on spores (Wilson, 1975; Okajima & Urushihara, 1993).

Distribution data

Described from southern India, widespread in southern China (Zhang et al., 2018), and also seen from Oahu (Hawaiian Islands). One female was collected from a fern at Elbana Falls, Lamington NP, Queensland, xi.2019; one female from Cyathea frond, Mt Glorious, Brisbane, vii.2002; one male from young tree fern, Bartle Frere, Queensland, x.2015. [These Queensland specimens have the sense cones apparently not forked on antennal segments III & IV.]

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Indusiothrips seshadrii Priesner

Original name and synonyms

Indusiothrips seshadrii Priesner, 1951: 183.

References

Okajima S & Urushihara H (1993) Rediscovery of Indusiothrips nakaharai Wilson from Japan (Thysanoptera, Thripidae). Transactions of the Shikoku Entomological Society 20: 97–101.

ThripsWiki (2020) Thrips Wiki-providing information on the World’s thrips. Available from: http://thrips.info/wiki/Main Page [accessed 28.viii.2019].

Wilson TH (1975) A monograph of the subfamily Panchaetothripinae (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 23: 1–354.

Zhang SM, Wang ZH, Li YJ & Mound LA (2018) One new species, two generic synonyms and eight new records of Thripidae from China (Thysanoptera). Zootaxa 4418 (4): 370–378.