Body light brown; legs slightly paler; head and thorax with brown markings; antennal segments VI–IX brown; fore wings uniformly shaded, faintly paler in basal third; abdominal tergites shaded brown medially. Head with striate sculpture except within ocellar region; three pairs of ocellar setae present. Antennae 9-segmented, III & IV with forked sense cones. Pronotum sculptured, with only one pair of long posteroangular setae; no long setae on anterior margin. Meso and metathoracic endofurca without spinula. Metanotum with transverse lines of reticulation anteriorly, longitudinal lines posteromedially and with internal markings between sculpture lines; campaniform sensilla absent; two pairs of setae, median pair stout and arising slightly behind anterior margin. Fore wing first vein setal row largely incomplete, second vein setal row complete and closely spaced. Abdominal tergites II–VIII with many lines of sculpture bearing groups of minute microtrichia laterally; II–VII with a pair of long and close together median setae; VIII with posteromarginal comb of microtrichia. Sternites without discal setae, with three pairs of long setae arising well in front of margin.
Male micropterous and with sternite III bearing a small pore plate on antecostal area.
Intraspecific variation
Not recorded.
Genus and similar species information
This Neotropical genus comprises ten species, all with antennae 9-segmented and the male pore plate placed on the antecostal area of abdominal sternite III. A similar species is recorded from Brazil, E. enigmaticus, which is considered a pest of Arachis hypogea. However, Enneothrips flavens can be distinguished by the metanotal reticles having internal markings and abdominal tergites shaded brown medially (Lima et al. 2022). A key to Enneothrips species is available in Vieira et al. (2024).
Collected on leaves of many plants. Larvae were studied from Campomanesia guazumifolia.
Economic importance
No records. Incorrectly mentioned as a pest of groundnuts, which is Enneothrips enigmaticus.
References suggested
Lima ÉFB, Alencar ÁRS, Nanini F, Michelotto MD, Corrêa AS (2022) "Unmasking the Villain": Integrative Taxonomy Reveals the Real Identity of the Key Pest (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) of Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) in South America. Insects 13(2): 120. doi: 10.3390/insects13020120.
Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.
