Body extensively yellow, including legs; head brown in ocellar region; meso & metanotum and abdominal tergites II–X each marked with a median brown blotch; antennal segments V–IX largely brown; fore wing brown with pale band near base. 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 with transverse striae; mesonotum striate; metanotum with concentric lines of sculpture and covered with microtrichia. Fore wing with two rows of conspicuous brown setae. Abdominal tergites I–V with posteromarginal comb of microtrichia laterally, II–V with a few marginal microtrichia medially; VI–VIII with complete marginal comb; II–VII with regular transverse rows of microtrichia laterally. Sternites II–VI without discal setae; posterior margins with long microtrichial fringe.
Male smaller; sternites VII–VIII each with large transverse pore plates.
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. decoratus is characterized by the largely pale body, including legs, with a dark median area on the abdominal tergites. A key to Heterothrips species recorded from Brazil is given by Pereyra & Cavalleri (2012).
