Original reference: Sakimura K (1983) A new Rhamphothrips from Hawaii, Jamaica and Florida, and notes on R. pomeroyi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Proceedings of the Hawaiian entomological Society 24: 299–303.
Body colour white to pale yellow, including legs; antennal segments I–II white, III shaded grey, VI–VIII brown;[MFL1] fore wings pale. Head with three pairs of ocellar setae, pair III between the anterior margins of posterior ocelli; mouth cone pointed and long, almost reaching mesothorax. Antennae 8-segmented, III & IV with forked sense cones. Pronotum longer than wide and with no long posteroangular setae; anteroangular and anteromarginal setae also not developed. Meso & metathoracic endofurca without spinula. Metanotum with irregular lines of reticulation posteromedially; paired campaniform sensilla present; two pairs of setae, median pair short and arising behind anterior margin. Tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing with first and second vein with few and sparse setae. Abdominal tergites II–VIII with craspeda and with a small and wide apart median setae, arising close to anterior margin. Sternites with lobed craspeda but without discal setae; three pairs of posteromarginal setae, on VII the S1 pair arise close to and anterior to S2 pair. Both sexes fully winged.
Male without pore plates and with many stout microtrichia on abdominal sternites VIII–IX.
Intraspecific variation
Antennal segment VI brown with variable pale area basally.
Genus and similar species information
Rhamphothrips is an Oriental genus which comprises 16 small pale species. All of them have an unusual position of S1 setae on sternite VII and a well-developed craspeda on abdominal tergites and sternites. This genus is possibly related to the Old World Exothrips and the Neotropical Nexothrips, although Rhamphothrips species have shorter mouth cones. Rhamphothrips pandens can be distinguished from the others species by the antennal segments IV–V largely pale with apex shaded and VI brown with variable pale area basally (Mound & Tree 2011).
World distribution
Described from Hawaii, it is also recorded from Australia, Brazil, Central America, several Pacific islands and USA.
Possibly breeding on leaves of unrelated plant species, but there are no records of host-plant associations.
Economic importance
Not recorded.
References suggested
Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.
Mound LA & Tree DJ (2011) New records and four new species of Australian Thripidae (Thysanoptera) emphasise faunal relationships between northern Australia and Asia. Zootaxa 2764: 35–48.
Published in: 31/12/2016 Posted by: Mariana Lindner
