Distinguishing features

Female fully winged or wingless. Body and legs brown, tarsi and apices of tibiae yellow; antennal segment III variably light brown including base, but IV–VI yellow in basal half and brown distally; fore wings pale. Antennae 8-segmented; segment III with 1 sense cone, IV with 2 sense cones; segment VII with broad pedicel. Head longer than wide, with eyes large and prolonged posteriorly on ventral surface; postocular setae small, wide apart; maxillary stylets retracted to postocular setae, about one fifth of head width apart. Pronotum with only 2 pairs of major setae, epimerals weakly capitate, posteroangulars blunt at apex; prosternal basantra not present. Fore tarsus with small sharply pointed tooth. Metanotum without sculpture. Fore wings parallel sided, without duplicated cilia. Tergal wing-retaining setae weak; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 weakly capitate, shorter than basal width of tube.

Related species

There are eight species listed under the genus Cephalothrips from around the world, but only C. hesperus Hood has been described from North America. That species differs from the widespread C. monilicornis in having the eyes not prolonged on the ventral surface of the head.

Biological data

Breeding on leaves of various Poaceae, with no recorded specificity.

Distribution data

This species is widespread across Europe (Priesner, 1964), but also recorded from New York, British Columbia, and California.

Family name

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, PHLAEOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Cephalothrips monilicornis (Reuter)

Original name and synonyms

Phloeothrips monilicornis Reuter, 1880: 21

References

Priesner H (1964) Ordnung Thysanoptera (Fransenflügler, Thripse). in Franz H, Bestimmungsbücher zur Bodenfauna Europas 2: 1–242. Akademie-Verlag.

Thysanoptera Californica