Male macropterous; body color mainly dark brown, abdomen gradually darkening to the almost black tube; antennomere I brown, II brown with paler apex, III brown with paler base, IV–VII brown, VIII light brown; wings yellowish with a darker base, venations darkened with brown. Antennae 8-segmented, antennomere III with 2 and IV with 4 sense cones. Head longer than wide, with a pair of long preocellar setae, their tip almost reaching the apex of antennomere II; lateral margins concave, with small stout setae; maxillary stylets wide apart. Metanotum reticulated. Metathoracic sternopleural sutures present. Abdominal tergites II–VII with 1 pair of wing-retaining setae. Tube almost cylinder-shaped, slightly constricted near base and at apex, a little over 4x as long as basal width, without lateral setae. Fore legs enlarged, fore femora internal margin with tubercles with a setae on their tips, fore tarsi with a long and straight tooth. Fore wings with about 40 duplicated cilia.
Female not studied.
Intraspecific variation Unknown.
Genus and similar species information
Diceratothrips is a genus with almost 20 species, occurring in the Neotropical region and south of the United States. It has similarities with species of Diplacothrips, but can be distinguished from them by the presence of metathoracic sternopleural sutures. Males of Anactinothrips and Diceratothrips have a unique adaptation to their fore legs, with a series of ridges on the coxae and a posterior projection on the femora, which seem to work as a stridulatory structure or as a locking mechanism for the fore legs. Despite this unique structure, these genera probably belong to different evolutionary lineages, and Diceratothrips can be distinguished from Anactinothrips for having metathoracic sternopleural sutures, a triangular pelta, and short setae on metanotum and laterals of abdominal segments. Diceratothrips robustus is very similar to D. bicornis, and it is possible that both names represent a single morphologically variable species.
