Body dark brown; tarsi and apical third of mid and hind tibiae yellow; antennal segments I and III–V yellow, II and VI–VIII darker; fore wing largely brown, with white transverse band sub-basally and diffuse paler area sub-apically. Head with short, convex cheeks; occipital ridge strong and close to margin of eyes. Antennae 8-segmented, III and IV with long apical neck and with long and forked sense cones; VIII elongated. Pronotum reticulate, with semi-circular hind margin and no long setae. Mesonotum without longitudinal division medially. Metanotum triangle strongly sculptured and with paired campaniform sensilla. Metafurca lyre-shaped with long but separated arms. Tarsi 1-segmented. Fore wing veins with few and spaced setae. Abdominal tergites III–VII with arched sculpture; VIII with complete comb of long microtrichia; X with median split complete. Both sexes macropterous.
Male similar to female in structure but smaller; tergite IX with five pairs of long and slender setae; sternites VI–VIII with pore plates, being those on VII–VIII larger and D-shaped.
Intraspecific variation
Not recorded.
Genus and similar species information
A total of 25 species are listed in Helionothrips, three from Africa, one from South America that is possibly not congeneric (Mound & Marullo 1996), one from Australia, and the rest from the Asian region. Although H. errans was described from England, it probably originated somewhere in South East Asia. It could be easily distinguished from the other Panchaetothripinae recorded from Brazil by its distinctive sculpture on abdominal tergites and fore wing colour pattern.
World distribution
Described from England and also recorded from Australia, Brazil, Japan, Southern Africa, USA and Taiwan.
Known as Cymbidium thrips, this species has been found breeding on Orchidaceae leaves around the world as Dendrobium and Laelia (Gillespie 2008). Also found attacking orchids inside greenhouses in USA and Europe. It has been studied from native Cattleya intermedia from South Brazil (Endres Júnior et al. 2015).
Economic importance
Damaging leaves of native and ornamental orchids (Endres Júnior et al. 2015).
References suggested
Endres Júnior D, Sasamori MH, Cavalleri A & Droste A (2015) Helionothrips errans (Thysanoptera: Thripidae): a new threat to native orchids in Brazil. Florida Entomologist 98(4): 1247–1249.
