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Thrips of California 2012

Dendrothripoides innoxius

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macropterous or micropterous; body colour golden yellow, with brown shadings laterally; antennal segments IV & VI brown in apical half or more; fore wing pale but with small brown marking sub-basally and longer brown marking medially. Antennae 8-segmented, III & IV with slender forked sensorium. Head with cheeks bulging behind eyes but constricted to basal neck; dorsal surface reticulate, ocellar setae III on anterior margins of ocellar triangle. Pronotum with discal setal bases prominent, one pair of posteroangular setae slightly prominent. Metanotum irregularly reticulate, median setae well behind anterior margin. Fore wing unusually slender with first vein distinct from but close to costa, major setae minute, brown areas with microtrichia stout; microptera with wing lobe shorter than thorax width. Tergites II–VIII with numerous broadly based stout microtrichia laterally, VI–VIII with 1 or 2 pairs of stout setae medially pointing toward midline; IX & X with setae stout, X fully divided medially. Sternites without sculpture, median pair of setae on VII arising at margin.

Male micropterous, similar to female; tergite IX with pair of stout thorn-like setae arising from a large median tubercle, posterior to this a group of 6 small tubercles; antecostal ridge of sternites IV–VII with small transverse pore plate.

Related and similar species

Five species are listed in the genus Dendrothripoides; one from South Africa, one from Thailand, two from the Philippines and one that is widespread on sweet potato leaves (Reyes, 1994). The genus is related to two further Oriental genera, Indusiothrips Priesner with two species, and Isunidothrips Kudo with one species. The tergal microtrichia are much weaker in those species than in Dendrothripoides.

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Dendrothripoides innoxius (Karny)

Original name and synonyms

  • Euthrips innoxius Karny, 1914: 359
  • Dendrothripoides ipomoeae Bagnall, 1923: 625
  • Tryphactothrips mediosignatus Karny, 1925: 34
  • Tryphactothrips mundus Karny, 1926: 190
  • Heliothrips ipomeae Bondar, 1930: 18
  • Scirtothrips gladiiseta Girault, 1933: 2

Family placement

Thripidae, Thripinae

Biological data

Life history

Breeding on leaves

Host plants

Several species of Ipomoea, including I. batatas and I. aquatica (sweet potato and water spinach)

Tospoviruses vectored

None

Crop damage

Causing limited damage to leaves.

Distribution data

Area of origin

Presumably Oriental region

Distribution

Widespread in tropical countries; not known from USA but likely to be intercepted in quarantine.