Distinguishing features

Female fully winged, dark brown when mature but bicolored when recently emerged. Antennae 8-segmented, segments III & IV each with stout simple sense cone; segment II prolonged externally with terminal sensorium. Head small, projecting in front of eyes, vertex with about 3 pairs of setae. Pronotum trapezoidal, 2 pairs of prominent posteroangular setae. Fore coxae enlarged and transverse, fore femora swollen, fore tibia extending around external margin of fore tarsus. Meso and metafurca weakly developed. Fore wing slender, apex pointed, first vein with 3 setae distally, second vein with 3–4 widely spaced setae. Tergites with transverse sculpture lines medially; antecostal ridge of tergites II–V with row of small tubercles; craspedum complete on I–VIII. Ovipositor weak, without teeth. Sternites II–IV medially with pattern of tubercles.
Male wingless, yellow; sternites III–VII medially with large circular pore plate.

Related species

The genus Arorathrips comprises 16 New World species (Nakahara & Foottit, 2012). These all differ from the members of Chirothrips in having the mesothoracic endofurca greatly reduced. A. mexicanus is closely related to A. crassiscelis Strassen that is presumed to have come from Argentina and has a larger number of setae on the head.

Biological data

Breeding within individual florets of various Poaceae, but with no recorded host specificity.

Distribution data

Presumably originally from South America, but now widespread throughout tropical countries.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Arorathrips mexicanus (Crawford DL)

Original name and synonyms

Chirothrips mexicanus Crawford DL, 1909: 114
Chirothrips floridensis Watson, 1920: 22
Chirothrips catchingsi Watson, 1924: 76
Chirothrips saltensis Tapia, 1952: 109

References

Nakahara S & Foottit RG (2012) Review of Chirothrips and related genera (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) of the Americas, with descriptions of one new genus and four new species. Zootaxa 3251: 1–29.

Thysanoptera Californica