Body yellow; antennal segments I–IV yellow, V–VI brown at apex, VII–VIII brown; fore wing banded, strongly shaded but with pale area sub-basally and apically. Head with few lines of sculpture posteriorly, three pairs of ocellar setae present. Antennae 8-segmented, III & IV with forked sense cones. Pronotum without sculpture, with only one pair of long posteroangular setae. Mesothoracic spinula present; metathoracic endofurca weak, without spinula. Metanotum with irregular sculpture medially; campaniform sensilla present; median setal pair short, arising behind anterior margin. Fore wing with first and second vein setal rows widely interrupted. Abdominal tergites with transverse lines of sculpture, lateral thirds with few sparse microtrichia; II–VIII with a pair of small and widely separated setae medially; VIII with dentate craspedum, spiracles with specialized area of granulate cuticle. Sternites with lobed craspedum; sternite III of female with a transverse pore plate; three pairs of long posteromarginal setae. Both sexes winged.
Male with transverse pore plate on abdominal sternites III–VII; tergite IX with pair of remarkable stout thorn-like setae.
Intraspecific variation
Not recorded.
Genus and similar species information
The genus Chaetanaphothrips includes 20 species, most of them restricted to Asia. These species have a specialized area of granulate cuticle around the spiracles on abdominal tergite VIII. There is only one other member of the genus recorded from Brazil. C. orchidii differs from C. signipennis in lacking ocellar setae I and the pronotum with two pairs of long posteroangular setae.
World distribution
Described from Europe, has been studied from Australia and several countries in the Caribbean and Central America.
Distribution in Brazil*
Not yet recorded but it is likely to occur in Brazil.
*Literature and authors’ data only.
Life history
Apparently breeding on leaves of orchids, bananas and various greenhouse plants.
Economic importance
Causing damage on banana fruits and leaves (Hoddle et al. 2012).
Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.
Nonaka T & Okajima S (1992) Descriptions of seven new species of the genus Chaetanaphothrips Priesner (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) from East Asia. Japanese Journal of Entomology 60: 433–447.
