Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body brown, tarsi yellowish; antennal segments I–II almost as dark as head, III light brown, IV–VIII brown; fore wings strongly shaded, scarcely paler at base. Antennae 8-segmented, III–IV with short forked sense cone. Head wider than long; vertex, excluding ocellar triangle, with sculpture lines; 3 pairs of ocellar setae, pair III shorter than longitudinal diameter of an ocellus, arising just anterior to midpoint of hind ocelli; 4 pairs of small postocular setae. Pronotum with strong transverse lines of sculpture, 2 pairs of moderately long posteroangular setae; median posteromarginal setae 1.5 times as long as remaining 3 pairs of posteromarginals. Mesonotal anterior campaniform sensilla present. Metanotum with lines of sculpture converging posteromedially; campaniform sensilla present; median setae at anterior margin. Mesofurca with spinula. Fore wing first and second veins with complete row of setae; clavus with 5 veinal and one discal setae. Tergites without craspeda; V–VII without ctenidia but with microtrichia on lines of sculpture laterally; sculpture lines extend to median setae; VIII with paired ctenidia anterolateral to spiracle, posteromarginal comb of long microtrichia with median 6 microtrichia closely spaced and directed mesad; tergite X about 1.3 times as long as IX. Sternites without discal setae; VII with setae S1 arising at margin.
Male macroptera. Similar to female but smaller; tergite VIII comb long, median setal pair on IX longer than sub-median pair; sternites III–VII with small circular to oval pore plate; sternite VIII posterior margin with several long microtrichia.

Related species

Pseudanaphothrips uniformis is currently based on the type specimens taken at Healesville, Victoria, and rather paler specimens from other localities may not be conspecific with the types. This species is particularly similar to P. parvus, but appears to be distinguished by the strongly shaded fore wings, the longer and darker antennal segments, and the longer tenth tergite. In both species, ocellar setae pair III are slightly more anterior in position than in the other species in this genus. The type specimens of both species are in very poor condition. As with frankstoni and pallidus, further studies on variation within and between populations, and on host plant associations, are needed to confirm the validity of these species. Species of the genus Pseudanaphothrips share many character states with species of Frankliniella, but none of them have tergal ctenidia so well-formed. Currently the genus includes nine species, all but one from Australia. However, some of these are based on very few specimens, and these remain particularly difficult to distinguish (Mound & Palmer, 1981).

Biological data

Presumably feeding and breeding within the flowers of various Asteraceae.

Distribution data

Known only from Australia, Victoria (specimens that are possibly conspecific have been seen from South Australia, and southern Western Australia).

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Pseudanaphothrips uniformis (Bagnall)

Original name and synonyms

Physothrips uniformis Bagnall, 1926: 102.

References

Mound LA (2002) The Thrips and Frankliniella genus groups: the phylogenetic significance of ctenidia. Pp. 379–386 in Marullo R & Mound LA [eds] Thrips and Tospoviruses: Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Thysanoptera. Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra.