Original reference: Haliday AH (1836) An epitome of the British genera in the Order Thysanoptera with indications of a few of the species. Entomological Magazine 3: 439–451.
Body uniformly yellow including legs; antennal segments yellow, except VI brown. Head long, with weak reticulate sculpture; without ocelli and long setae. Antennae 6-segmented, III & IV with simple sense cones. Pronotum with faint transverse sculpture lines and no long setae. Meso & metathoracic endofurca without spinula. Metanotum rectangular and reticulate; paired campaniform sensilla present, placed laterally; no long setae. Tarsi 1-segmented. Abdominal tergites with reticulate sculpture, without microtrichia; II–VII with pair of short, widely separated median setae; VIII without craspedum or comb of microtrichia. Sternites with three pairs of long posteromarginal setae, usually with about 10 discal setae. Both sexes apterous.
Male similar to female, without pore plates on abdominal sternites; tergite IX with two pairs of stout thorn-like setae.
Intraspecific variation
Discal setae on abdominal tergites varying from 2 to 20 (Hoddle et al. 2008).
Genus and similar species information
Aptinothrips includes four species, all completely wingless and Holarctic in origin (Mound & Marullo 1996). Aptinothrips rufus is the only species of the genus recorded from South America and can be recognized by the 1-segmented tarsi and 6-segmented antennae.
World distribution
Widely distributed around the world, particularly in countries with temperate climate. In South America, it is recorded from Argentina, Brazil and Chile.
Breeding on grasses. Particularly common on highland pastures.
Economic importance
Not recorded.
References suggested
Hoddle MS, Mound LA & Paris DL (2012) Thrips of California. CBIT Publishing, Queensland. Available at http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/thrips_of_california/ Thrips_of_California.html
Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.
Published in: 23/12/2016 Posted by: Mariana Lindner
