Haplothrips gowdeyi

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macropterous; body and legs dark brown, fore tarsi light brown; antennal segments III–IV yellow, V–VI yellow in basal half but light brown at apex; fore wing pale with extreme base shaded; major setae dark brown except on tergite IX. Antennae 8-segmented, segment III with 2 sensoria, IV with 4 sensoria. Head slightly longer than wide; postocular setae weakly capitate and about as long as width of compound eye, arising close to posterior margin of eye; maxillary stylets retracted to postocular setae, about half of head width apart with distinct maxillary bridge. Pronotum with 5 pairs of slender, capitate major setae. Prosternal basantra well developed; mesopresternum complete and boat-shaped but very narrow medially; metathoracic sternopleural sutures not developed. Fore tarsus with small tooth near apex. Fore wing constricted medially, with about 8 duplicated cilia; all 3 sub-basal setae capitate. Pelta triangular; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae; tergite IX setae finely acute and as long as tube; tube shorter than head width.

Male macropterous, smaller than female; fore tarsus with tooth variable in size; tergite IX setae S2 short and stout; sternite VIII without pore plate; aedeagus slender with apex slightly bifid.

Related and similar species

H. gowdeyi belongs to a group of Haplothrips species in which antennal segment III bears two sensoria, and many of these species seem to be associated with the flowers of Asteraceae. With over 245 listed species, Haplothrips is one of the three largest genera of Thysanoptera. Most of these species breed in flowers, including the flowers of grasses and sedges, although a few are mite predators on dead branches (Minaei & Mound, 2008). No member of the genus is known to be endemic to the Neotropics, although a few species come from southern South America (Mound & Zapater, 2003). Only 17 species are listed from Mexico and North America (Mound & Marullo, 1996) with six of these recorded from California.

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Haplothrips gowdeyi (Franklin)

Original name and synonyms

• Anthothrips gowdeyi Franklin, 1908: 724
• Anthothrips usitatus Bagnall, 1910: 695
• Anthothrips variabilis Crawford DL, 1910: 166
• Haplothrips karnyi Bagnall, 1913: 296
• Haplothrips brevicollis Bagnall, 1913: 297
• Haplothrips soror Schmutz, 1913: 1036
• Haplothrips sororcula Schmutz, 1913: 1036
• Anthothrips dozieri Watson, 1918: 71
• Haplothrips mahensis Bagnall, 1921: 267

Family placement

Phlaeothripidae, Phlaeothripinae

Biological data

Life history

Breeding within flowers, but whether always phytophagous or sometimes predatory is not clear.

Host plants

Adults have been collected from a wide range of flowers, with no indication of any particular host association.

Tospoviruses vectored

None

Crop damage

None

Distribution data

Area of origin

Presumably tropical Africa, as this is the only area from which males have been seen.

Distribution

H. gowdeyi is found widely around the world in tropical and subtropical countries; likely to be introduced to California.