Body extensively yellow to yellowish brown, pterothrorax and terminal abdominal segments somewhat darker; antennal segment I yellow, V–IX largely brown; fore wing uniformly brown. Head wider than long, with no long setae; ocellar region with only two pairs of setae. Antennae 9-segmented and relatively short, segments III & IV each with one transverse row of sensorial pores at apex. Pronotum with faint transversal striae; mesonotum with elongate transversal reticles; 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 unknown.
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. Heterothrips flavidus is unusual in having the body extensively pale but the fore wings uniformly brown. The head lacks ocellar setae pair I, and the pronotum is moderately striate with pale lines.A key to Heterothrips species recorded from Brazil is given by Pereyra & Cavalleri (2012).
