Body strongly bicoloured, brown on head, mesonotum, metanotum, abdominal tergites II–IV and VII–VIII; tergites V–VI shaded brown medially, with antecostal ridge dark and small brown spot anterolaterally, tergite IX posterior half light brown, X yellow; pronotum yellow, pronotal blotch almost indistinguishable apart from anterior margin; fore wing with 3 dark and 3 pale bands, apex pale, clavus dark with pale setae; antennal segments I–II pale, III pale with weak shading medially, IV brown with apex pale; hind tibiae yellow with brown marking on external distal margin, femora brown distally. Head with occipital apodeme close to, but not touching posterior margin of eyes, ocellar area with closely spaced striations and markings between the striae; antennal segments III & IV with a short constricted apical neck. Pronotum transversely striate, pronotal blotch with striae more closely spaced and transverse row of setae on anterior margin; mesonotum and metanotum closely striate; metasternal plate with shallow emargination. Fore wing second vein with 2 setae distally. Abdominal tergites VII–VIII with complete comb of microtrichia on posterior margin but short on VII, comb absent medially on remaining tergites; tergite IX with 2 pairs of mid-dorsal setae; sternites III–VI with microtrichia medially but VII with none medially.
Male similar to female but smaller and with tergite VII pale.
Intraspecific variation
Not recorded.
Genus and similar species information
Almost 120 species are included in Neohydatothrips, most from tropical countries (Mound & Tree 2009). All of them have the abdominal sternites and lateral thirds of tergites covered by rows of fine microtrichia, with many of them being bicoloured and with banded fore wings. Neohydatothrips varius is similar to N. maculatus, but has the mid and hind tibiae with brown markings. A key to the Neotropical species of Neohydatothrips is provided by Lima & Mound (2016).
