Colour largely yellow but abdominal tergites II–VIII each with a weakly shaded area medially; antennal segment I yellow, II–VIII brown; fore wings and clavus light brown. Head with three pairs of ocellar setae, pair III small, arising between anterior margins of posterior ocelli; ocellar region transversely striate. Antennae 8-segmented, III & IV with very long forked sense cones. Pronotum rectangular, transversely striate, with one pair of prominent posteroangular setae. Meso and metathoracic spinula well developed. Metanotum with equiangular reticulation medially; paired campaniform sensilla absent; two pairs of setae, median pair arising behind anterior margin. Tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing first vein row of setae widely interrupted, second vein with two setae. Abdominal tergites II–VIII with lateral thirds covered in closely spaced rows of fine microtrichia and each bearing three discal setae; II–VII posterior margin with comb of microtrichia on lateral thirds; tergite VIII with comb complete; II–VI with a pair of small, weak, widely separated median setae. Sternites with no discal setae, with rows of microtrichia on lateral thirds; III–VII with four pairs of posteromarginal setae. Female fully winged.
Male unknown.
Intraspecific variation
Not recorded.
Genus and similar species information
This genus comprises more than 100 species, almost all of them from tropics or subtropics. Most of the members have pale body colour, pronotum transversely striate and lateral thirds of abdominal tergites covered with regular rows of minute microtrichia. Some species within this group show a wide range of variation, resulting sometimes in mistaken taxonomic decisions (Mound & Zur Strassen 2001). Scirtothrips multistriatus has very long sense cones on antennal segments III & IV and ocellar setae pair III placed between anterior margins of posterior ocelli.
