Original reference: Johansen RM (1983) Nuevas trips (Insecta: Thysanoptera; Terebrantia, Thripidae, Thripinae) de La Sierra Madre Oriental y del eje Volcanico Transversal de Mexico. Anales del Instituto de Biologia. Universidad Nacional de Mexico 53: 91–132.
Body colour white, including legs; antennal segments I–II white, III slightly shaded grey, IV–V brown in distal half, VI–VIII brown; fore wings pale. Head with two pairs of ocellar setae, ocellar pair III between the posterior margins of posterior ocelli. Antennae 8-segmented, III & IV with forked sense cones. Pronotum not sculptured andwith two pairs of long posteroangular setae; anteroangular and anteromarginal setae not developed. Mesothoracic spinula short; metathoracic spinula absent. Metanotum with irregular lines of reticulation posteromedially; paired campaniform sensilla absent; two pairs of setae, median pair short and arising behind anterior margin. Tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing with first and second row of setae incomplete. Abdominal tergites with weak craspeda, including posterior margin of VIII; VI–VIII with two rows of microtrichia laterally similar to ctenidia, on VIII anterior to spiracle. Sternites with lobed craspeda but without discal setae; three pairs of posteromarginal setae. Both sexes fully winged.
Male without sternal pore plates; sternite IX with numerous long setae.
Intraspecific variation
Specimens studied from Brazil are here considered belonging to these species. However, Brazilian individuals differ from the specimens from the original description (Mexico) in bearing shorter mouth cone (not extending to the posterior margin of the pronotum), and having longitudinal reticulations on the metanotum. Moreover, there is no darker portion in the median region of the fore wings.
Genus and similar species information
Paraleucothrips includes only this minute and pale Neotropical species. It was described as related to Dendrothripinae but subsequent analysis confirmed that the metafurca is simple and with short arms, unlike of Leucothrips species, and these taxa are not related (Mound & Marullo 1996).
World distribution
Described from Mexico, it is also recorded from Brazil and Costa Rica.
Possibly breeding on leaves. Has been studied from Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) in South Brazil.
Economic importance
Not recorded.
References suggested
Cavalleri A, Romanowski HP & Redaelli L (2006) Thrips species (Insecta: Thysanoptera) inhabiting plants of the Parque Estadual de Itapuã, Viamão, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 23(2): 367–374.
Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.
Published in: 29/12/2016 Posted by: Mariana Lindner
