Distinguishing features

This species has not been studied by the present authors, but is similar in structure to F. tritici.

Related species

F. insignis is very similar to, and is possibly the Western USA form of, the Eastern flower thrips, F. tritici. There are almost 240 species listed in the genus Frankliniella, with up to 130 further names placed into synonymy (Nakahara, 1997). This high rate of synonymy has been due to unrecognized variability in size and color of so many species. Scarcely ten of these species are native to parts of the world other than the Americas.

Biological data

Nothing known, but presumably flower-living.

Distribution data

Known only from California and Arizona.

Family name

THRIPIDAE - THRIPINAE

Species name

Frankliniella insignis Moulton

Original name and synonyms

Frankliniella insignis Moulton, 1936: 170
Frankliniella citri Moulton, 1936: 170

References

Nakahara S (1997) Annotated list of the Frankliniella species of the world (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Contributions on Entomology, International 2 (4): 355–389.