Original reference: Pereyra V & Cavalleri A (2012) The genus Heterothrips (Thysanoptera) in Brazil, with an identification key and seven new species. Zootaxa 3237: 1–23.
Body brown; femora brown; tibiae pale with a brown band in the middle; tarsi pale; antennal segments I & IV–IX brown, II pale, III pale with brown apex; 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 two transverse rows of sensorial pores at apex. Pronotum smooth with no long setae; mesonotum closely striate; metanotum covered with microtrichia and with concentric lines of sculpture, almost forming a triangle. Fore wing with two rows of conspicuous brown setae. Abdominal tergites I–VIII with microtrichia laterally; I–V with lateral posteromarginal microtrichia; II–V with few median teeth; VI–VIII with continuous fringe of independent microtrichia. Sternites II–VI without discal setae; posterior margins with long microtrichial fringe.
Male smaller and with body sharply bicoloured, abdominal segments III–VII clear yellow; tergite IX with a pair of stout dorsolateral finger-like projections. Sternites VII–VIII each with a large transverse pore plate.
Intraspecific variation
Antennal segment II variable in colour, from pale to light brown.
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. Similar to H.peixotoa, this species lacks ocellar setae I on the head, and antennal segments III–IV bear two rows of well-developed sensorial pores. However, H.paulistarum has the fore wings extensively brown, with a distinct sub-basal pale area and males bear conspicuous paired dorsal processes on abdominal tergite IX. A key to Heterothrips species recorded from Brazil is given by Pereyra & Cavalleri (2012).
Flower-feeding species living in Malpighiaceae flowers. Adults have been studied from Diplopterys pubipetala and Niedenzuella glabra flowers (Malpighiaceae) in Brazilian Savannah. Co-existing with H. pedicellatus.
Economic importance
Not recorded.
References suggested
Moulton D (1932) The Thysanoptera of South America I. Revista de Entomologia 2: 451–484.
Pereyra V & Cavalleri A (2012) The genus Heterothrips (Thysanoptera) in Brazil, with an identification key and seven new species. Zootaxa 3237: 1–23.
Published in: 21/12/2016 Posted by: Mariana Lindner
