Haplothrips gowdeyiHaplothrips gowdeyiFemale 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 sense cones, IV with 4 sense cones. 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 the 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.
H. gowdeyi belongs to a group of Haplothrips species in which antennal segment III bears two sense cones, and many of these species seem to be associated with the flowers of Asteraceae. With over 240 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). Species of this genus occur worldwide, but only a few come from South America (Mound & Zapater, 2003), and although 17 species are listed from Mexico and North America (Mound & Marullo, 1996) only six of these are recorded from California (Hoddle et al. 2004).
Breeding within flowers, but whether always phytophagous or sometimes predatory is not clear.
Males of this species have been seen only from tropical Africa, and that is probably the area of origin of the species. However, H. gowdeyi is found widely around the world in tropical and subtropical countries, and is likely to be introduced to California.
PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, PHLAEOTHRIPINAE
Haplothrips gowdeyi (Franklin)
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.
Minaei K & Mound LA (2008) The Thysanoptera Haplothripini (Phlaeothripidae) of Iran. Journal of Natural History 42: 2617–2658.
Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.
Mound LA & Zapater MC (2001) South American Haplothrips species (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae), with a new species of biological control interest to Australia against weedy Heliotropium amplexicaule (Boraginaceae). Neotropical Entomology 32: 437–442.
