Original reference: Palmer JM & Mound LA (1985) New World Thripidae (Thysanoptera) with nine-segmented antennae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society of London 84: 181–194.
Body colour yellow to pale brown, with the margins of the head brown; antennal segments I–II & VI–IX brown, III–V largely yellow but darkened at apex; fore wing and scale light brown with small paler area sub-basally. Head prolonged anteriorly in front of eyes; three pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III long and arising lateral to first ocellus; postocular setae I–III unusually long and arranged in longitudinal row. Antennae long and slender, 9-segmented; III & IV with forked sense cones. Pronotum without sculpture, with one pair of long posteroangular setae (inner pair) and two pairs of small posteromarginal setae. Mesothoracic endofurca with weak spinula; metathoracic endofurca with strong spinula. Mesonotum reticulate, except anteriorly; metanotum reticulate, without campaniform sensilla; two pairs of setae present, median pair short and arising behind anterior margin. Fore wing first vein widely interrupted, second vein with a complete row. Abdominal tergites VI–VII with median setae half of median tergal length; VIII with complete comb of long microtrichia. Sternites II–VII with many discal setae and three pairs of marginal setae. Female always macropterous.
Male unknown.
Intraspecific variation
Not recorded.
Genus and similar species information
Psydrothrips is a Neotropical genus possibly related to some of the New World Anaphothrips genus-group. Psydrothrips species lack long setae on the pronotum and males share an unusual condition of bearing a small pore plate between abdominal sternites II–III instead of the typical Thripinae pore plates (Mound 2009). This advanced character is also present in others New World Thripinae with nine-segmented antenna: Charassothrips, Desertathrips, Enneothrips, Pseudothrips. Psydrothrips also includes P. luteolus, and the differences between them are mainly based on colour. The head and antennal segments I–II and are yellow in P. luteolus, and pronotal posteroangular setae are longer than in P. kewi (Nakahara & Tsuda 1995).
World distribution
Described from glasshouse in England, it is recorded from Brazil and Mexico. Possibly South American in origin.
Oligophagous species, breeding on leaves of several Araceae plants as Philodendron spp. and Zantedeschia aethiopica.
Economic importance
Causing damage to ornamental Araceae in glasshouses and in natural areas.
References suggested
Cavalleri A, de Lima MGA, Luiz PL & Pereira AAPL (2014) The First Record of Psydrothrips kewi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in South America, with Notes on Its Damage on Calla Lily (Alismatales: Araceae). Florida Entomologist 97(2): 852–853.
Mound LA (2009) Sternal pore plates (glandular areas) of male Thripidae (Thysanoptera). Zootaxa 2129: 29–46.
Nakahara S & Tsuda D (1995) Psydrothrips luteolus new species, from Hawaii and notes on P. kewi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 96: 156–161.
Palmer JM & Mound LA (1985) New World Thripidae (Thysanoptera) with nine-segmented antennae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society of London 84: 181–194.
Published in: 30/12/2016 Posted by: Mariana Lindner
