Podothrips lucasseni

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Female macropterous; body and femora brown, tibiae and tarsi yellow; antennal segments III–VI yellow, VII–VIII light brown; fore wing pale. Antennae 8-segmented, segment III with 1 sensorium, IV with 2. Head longer than wide, cheeks convex and narrowed to base; postocular setae weakly capitate; maxillary stylets retracted to level of postocular setae, one third of head width apart, maxillary bridge well developed. Pronotum with antero-angular, epimeral and postero-angular setae capitate, remaining major setae scarcely larger than discal setae. Prosternal basantra about twice as long as wide; mesopresternum complete medially; metathoracic sternopleural sutures elongate. Metanotum without sculpture medially, median setae small. Fore tarsi with long curved tooth; fore tibiae with small tooth at inner apex, also a small, sub-apical, seta-bearing tubercle. Fore wing constricted medially, without duplicated cilia. Pelta broadly bell-shaped with separate pair of lateral lobes; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae, on VII the posterior pair is small and straight; tergite IX S1 & S2 setae finely acute, as long as or longer than tube; tube shorter than head width, terminal setae elongate.

Male macropterous, similar to female; tergite IX setae S2 short and stout; sternite VIII without pore plate.

Related and similar species

There are 30 species listed in the genus Podothrips. Most of these are from the Old World (Ritchie, 1974) particularly Australia (Mound & Minaei, 2007), with only four known from Central and South America (Mound & Marullo, 1996). P. lucasseni is unique within this genus in having the pelta divided into three sclerites. The genus Podothrips is closely related to Haplothrips, but species can be recognised by the elongate prosternal basantra. They can be distinguished from the species of Karnyothrips by the presence of a fore tibial tubercle.

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Podothrips lucasseni (Kruger)

Original name and synonyms

• Phloeothrips lucasseni Kruger, 1890: 105
• Kentronothrips hawaiiensis Moulton, 1928: 126
• Podothrips oryzae Priesner, 1938: 72

Family placement

Phlaeothripidae, Phlaeothripinae

Biological data

Life history

Predatory on Coccoidea.

Host plants

Associated with Poaceae, particularly with Saccharum and Oryza.

Tospoviruses vectored

None

Crop damage

None

Distribution data

Area of origin

Tropical Asia

Distribution

Not known from North America, but likely to be taken in quarantine in California. Widespread across Asia, from Pakistan to northern Australia, also Hawaii.