Body bicoloured; head, thorax, femora and abdominal segments IX–X extensively brown; all tibiae and abdominal segments III–VII yellow; antennal segment I–II yellow; fore wing largely pale, with a median brown area medially. Head wider than long, with no long setae; ocellar region with only two pairs of setae. Antennae 9-segmented, segments III & IV each with one transverse row of sensorial pores at apex. Pronotum smooth with no long setae; mesonotum striate; metanotum with concentric lines of sculpture, not forming a triangle, covered with microtrichia. Fore wing with two rows of brown setae. Abdominal tergites I–V with posteromarginal comb of independent microtrichia laterally, II–V with a few marginal microtrichia medially; VI–VIII with complete posteromarginal comb; II–VII with regular transverse rows of microtrichia laterally. Sternites II–VI without discal setae; posterior margin with a long microtrichial fringe.
Male smaller; sternites VII–VIII each with a large transverse pore plate, and short dorsolateral processes on tergite IX.
Intraspecific variation
Not recorded.
Genus and similar species information
Heterothrips Hood is the largest genus in the family Heterothripidae, currently comprising more than 70 species. It is restricted to the Americas and two informal groups were proposed by Moulton (1932). Species placed in “group I” bear a posteromarginal fringe of independent microtrichia on the abdominal tergites, whereas species in “group II” have microtrichia that arise on the posterior margin of the tergites from a well-developed craspedum. Antennal segments III & IV each bears apically a circumpolar sensorium with one or more rows of pores. H. bicolor is remarkable in having the body sharply bicoloured, with all tibiae and abdominal segments III–VII yellow. A key to Heterothrips species recorded from Brazil is given by Pereyra & Cavalleri (2012).
