Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body and legs mainly yellow, abdominal segments VI–VIII progressively darker, IX–X dark brown; antennal segments I & III yellow, II shaded basally on inner margin, IV–V with apical half light brown, VI–VII brown; fore wings weakly shaded, apex and distal part of anterior margin pale. Antennae 7-segmented. Head broader than long, vertex and ocellar region transversely striate; ocellar setae III arising on outer margins of triangle near first ocellus; postocular setae I & III twice as long as setae II and IV. Pronotum with many faint transverse lines but only 2 or 3 setae medially, outer postero-angular setae slightly shorter than inner pair, posterior margin with 3 pairs of setae. Mesonotum with no campaniform sensilla near anterior margin. Metanotum with transverse sculpture on anterior half, equiangular on posterior, reticles with some internal markings; median pair of setae not close to anterior margin; campaniform sensilla present. Fore wings variable in length, first vein with 3 setae on distal half; clavus with 5 marginal setae, terminal seta longest. Abdominal tergite I with irregular sculpture medially, remaining tergites with lines of sculpture weak or absent mesad of campaniform sensilla; tergite II with 3 lateral marginal setae; tergite VIII with no posteromarginal comb but with a few very small teeth close to lateral margins; tergite IX with 2 pairs of campaniform sensilla, X with median split long but not complete. Sternites and pleurotergites without discal setae.
Male not known.

Related species

There are 33 species of Thrips genus known from Australia (Mound & Masumoto, 2005), out of a total of 296 species worldwide (ThripsWiki, 2020). Many of these species have the antennae clearly 7-segmented, whereas others have 8 segments. Some species have two complete rows of setae on the fore wing veins, whereas others have the setal row on the first vein more or less widely interrupted. Moreover, some species have sternal discal setae, whereas other species have only marginal setae on the sternites. Despite this variation, all members of Thrips genus have paired ctenidia on the tergites, and on tergite VIII these are postero-mesad to the spiracles, and they also lack ocellar setae pair I in front of the first ocellus. In contrast, Frankliniella species have ctenidia on tergite VIII antero-lateral to the spiracles, and a pair of setae is always present in front of the first ocellus. T.darwini is possibly related to T. orientalis, but the bicoloured body and lack of a comb on tergte VIII are unusual characters.

Biological data

Taken originally from young leaves of a bamboo species.

Distribution data

Known only from Australia (Northern Territory and Queensland).

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Thrips darwini Mound & Masumoto

Original name and synonyms

Thrips darwini Mound & Masumoto, 2005: 20.

References

Mound LA & Masumoto M (2005) The genus Thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Zootaxa 1020: 1–64. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2005f/zt01020p064.pdf