Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body strongly bicoloured, head and pterothorax brown, prothorax, legs and abdomen, also antennal segments I–IV yellow; fore wings pale with long brown band medially. Antennae 8-segmented, VII–VIII slender; III–IV with long, curved forked sense cone. Head small, wider than long, with 3 pairs of ocellar setae, pair III small and within ocellar triangle; postocular setae minute; mouth cone long and extending to mesosternum. Pronotum with 2 pairs of stout posteroangular setae with expanded fimbriate apices; posterior margin with 4 pairs of small setae. Metanotum with irregularly reticulate sculpture, campaniform sensilla absent; median setae arise well behind anterior margin. Mesofurca with weak spinula. Fore wing first vein with 1 seta medially and 1 seta distally; second vein with about 6 setae; posterior fringe cilia straight. Tergites without ctenidia, posterior margin of II–VIII with deep craspedum. Sternites without discal setae or craspedum.
Male not known.

Related species

The genus Salpingothrips includes only three described species. S. aimotofus is distinguished from the others because it is bicoloured, not yellow.

Biological data

Feeding and breeding on the leaves of Pueraria lobata [Fabaceae].

Distribution data

Described from Japan, and recorded from USA (Georgia) and Australia (Queensland).

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Salpingothrips aimotofus Kudo

Original name and synonyms

Salpingothrips aimotofus Kudo, 1972: 230.

References

Kudo I (1972) A new species of the genus Salpingothrips from Japan. Kontyu 40: 230–233

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