Original reference: De Santis L (1966) Adiciones a la fauna Argentina de Tisanópteros IV. Notas Comisión de Investigación Científica, Provincia de Buenos Aires (8)3: 1–16.
Body extensively brown but head, legs and abdominal tergites V–X darker; antennal segments brown, except for yellow pedicel on III; fore wings brown but paler at base. Head with three pairs of ocellar setae, pair III long, outside ocellar triangle; postocular setae I and III wanting. Antennae slender, 8-segmented, III & IV with forked sense cones; III with simple pedicel. Pronotum not sculptured, with two pairs of long posteroangular setae; anteroangular and anteromarginal setae long, but less than 0.5 pronotum length. Mesothoracic spinula present, metathoracic spinula absent. Apterae with metanotum transverse and transversely sculptured; campaniform sensilla absent; two pairs of setae, median pair arising behind anterior margin. Tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing with first and second rows of setae complete and closely spaced. Abdominal tergites II–VIII with three pairs of discal setae medially; V–VIII with ctenidia laterally, ctenidia on VIII anterolateral to spiracle; posteromarginal comb of microtrichia on VIII very short and irregular, sometimes median teeth not developed. Sternites without discal setae, with three pairs of long posteromarginal setae. Female apterous or macropterous; males only known from apterous forms.
Male without posteromarginal comb of microtrichia on VIII and with large and strongly curved pore plate on abdominal sternites III–VIII.
Intraspecific variation
Position of metanotal setae sometimes variable.
Genus and similar species information
Frankliniella is one of the largest genera amongst Thysanoptera, comprising more than 160 described species. About 90% of the species are from the Neotropics and their taxonomy is usually complex. Almost all members have 8-segmented antennae, three pairs of ocellar setae and fore wing with both rows of setae complete. About 40 species are recorded from Brazil, and almost half of these were described from this country. Frankliniella platensis individuals collected in Brazil are often apterous, and can be easily distinguished from the other species by the lack of postocular setae I and III on the head. A key to Frankliniella species recorded from Brazil is provided by Cavalleri & Mound (2012).
World distribution
Described from Argentina, it is also known from Brazil.
Possibly breeding on flowers. Adults were collected in pitfall traps in grasslands in Southern Brazil.
Economic importance
Not recorded.
References suggested
Cavalleri A & Mound LA (2012) Toward the identification of Frankliniella species in Brazil (Thysanoptera, Thripidae). Zootaxa 3270: 1–30.
de Borbón CM (2013) Especies del género Frankliniella (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) registradas en la Argentina, una actualización. Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias 45(1): 259–284.
Published in: 28/12/2016 Posted by: Mariana Lindner
