Distinguishing features

Female macroptera. Body brown, tarsi and apices of fore tibiae yellow; antennal segment III yellow; fore wings brown with base paler. Antennae 8-segmented. Head with ocellar setae III arising outside triangle; postocular setae I as long as ocellar setae III, postocular setae II about half as long as I. Pronotum with transverse markings, one pair of sublateral setae stouter than remaining discal setae. Mesonotum with 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 setal row variable, basal series with 9–12 then 2 or 3 near wing apex; clavus with subterminal seta shorter than terminal seta. Abdominal tergite II with 4 lateral setae; tergite VIII comb complete but short and irregular. Sternites III–VII with 14–18 discal setae; pleurotergites with 0–3 discal setae.
Male macroptera. Body brown; pleurotergites usually with no discal setae; sternites III–VII with broad pore plate.

Related species

Despite the presence of pleurotergal discal setae, T. novocaledonensis appears to be closely related to Thrips hawaiiensis on the basis of most of its structural characters, particularly the metanotum, although several of the pleurotergites have discal setae. 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.

Biological data

Feeding and breeding in flowers, with adults taken from various herbs and shrubs.

Distribution data

New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Australia (Norfolk Island).

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Thrips novocaledonensis (Bianchi)

Original name and synonyms

Taeniothrips novocaledonensis Bianchi, 1945: 270.

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