Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body brown, tibiae largely yellow femora light brown; antennal segment III yellow; fore wings brown with base paler. Antennae 7 (rarely 8)-segmented. Head with ocellar setae III outside ocellar triangle; postocular seta II much smaller than I or III. Pronotum with transverse markings, midlateral setae all equally weak; posterior sub-marginal apodeme weak. Mesonotum with no lines of sculpture close to anterior campaniform sensilla. Metanotum transversely striate on anterior half, with longitudinal but more widely spaced striations on posterior half; median setae arise at anterior margin; campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing first vein with 3 setae on distal half, clavus with subterminal seta longer than terminal seta. Abdominal tergite II with 4 lateral marginal setae; tergite VIII comb complete but short and irregular. Sternites III–VII with 6–14 discal setae.
Male macroptera.Body pale brown.

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. florum is closely related to T. hawaiiensis, as discussed by Bhatti (1999), but it can be distinguished by the longer subterminal seta on the clavus, the absence of sculpture lines near the mesonotal campaniform sensilla, and the very short postocular setae pair II.

Biological data

Feeding and breeding in the flowers of many different plants, and sometimes considered a pest.

Distribution data

Widespread across Asia and the Pacific, also Florida and the Carribbean islands, and Australia (Queensland and Northern Territory).

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Thrips florum Schmutz

Original name and synonyms

Thrips florum Schmutz, 1913: 1003
Thrips parvus Schmutz, 1913: 1004
Thrips magnipes Schmutz, 1913: 1006
Thrips rhodamniae Schmutz, 1913: 1008
Thrips pallida Schmutz, 1913: 1015
Thrips peradenyae Schmutz, 1913: 1015
Thrips darci Girault, 1930: 1
Thrips dunbariae Priesner, 1934: 261
Thrips exilicornis Hood, 1932: 129.

References

Bhatti JS (1999) New characters for identification of the pest species Thrips hawaiiensis and florum (Terebrantia: Thripidae). Thrips 1: 31–53.

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