Elaphrothrips amazonicus Johansen, 1979: 95.

Original reference: Johansen RM (1979) Seis nuevas especies de Elaphrothrips Buffa, 1909 (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) de Brasil Y Peru. Anales del Instituto de Biologia. Universidad Nacional de Mexico 49 [1978]: 95–114.

Family

Phlaeothripidae, Idolothripinae

Nomenclatural information 

https://thrips.info/wiki/Elaphrothrips_amazonicus 

Diagnosis

Female macropterous; body color mainly dark brown, apexes of tibiae and all tarsi light brown; antennomeres I–II dark brown, III yellowish brown with brown apex, IV–VIII dark brown; wings yellowish with a dark median line. Antennae 8-segmented, antennomere III with 2 and IV with 3 sense cones, III much longer than the other segments. Head longer than wide, lateral margins sinuous, with long projection ahead of eyes; dorsal surface with two pairs of long setae (ocellar and postocular), postocellar and median setae short or absent; cheeks with stout and short setae; eyes large, not projected ventrally. Pronotum with 3 pairs of long setae, anteromarginal and anteroangular pairs as short as discal setae; prosternal basantra present. Metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Pelta reticulated, triangular and broad, basal angles curved upwards. Abdominal tergites II–VII with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae and several smaller accessory setae; tergite IX major setae slightly longer than the tube. Tube cone-shaped, slightly more than 3x as long as basal width, without lateral setae. All legs similar in appearance, with multiple long setae, fore tarsi without a tooth. Fore wings with about 70 duplicated cilia.

Male not studied.

Intraspecific variation

Unknown.

Genus and similar species information

Elaphrothrips is the Idolothripinae genus with the most described species, with almost 150 species widely distributed across tropical and subtropical regions. These thrips are usually large and dark-colored, distinguished from other Brazilian Idolothripinae (except Saurothrips) for having two pairs of wing-retaining setae on the abdominal tergites; in larger specimens, many accessory setae may be present in addition to the main wing-retaining pairs. Besides that, they have elongated head, major ocellar setae posterior to the anterior ocellus, basantra present, and tube shorter than the head, without lateral setae. Many species have high morphological diversity associated to size, wing-development and sex, which makes the distinction between species harder; and it is possible that many species in the genus will be identified as synonyms in the future.

Elaphrothrips amazonicus is one of the few brazilian species in this genus with the head projection anterior to eyes longer than wide, together with E. gracilis, E. nitidus and E. schotti. It is distinguished from E. gracilis and E. nitidus for its larger size, with females almost reaching a length of 100 mm when fully distended; for having an almost smooth pronotum; and for bearing around 70 duplicated cilia on each forewing, while the other two species have around 50 of these cilia.

Distribution around the world

Described from Peru and recorded from Brazil.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/69854 

Life history

Lives in dead leaves, where it feeds on fungal spores.

Economic importance

Not recorded.

Suggested references

Palmer JM & Mound LA (1978) Nine genera of fungus-feeding Phlaeothripidae (Thysanoptera) from the Oriental Region. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 37: 153-215.

Johansen RM (1979) Seis nuevas especies de Elaphrothrips Buffa, 1909 (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) de Brasil Y Peru. Anales del Instituto de Biologia. Universidad Nacional de Mexico 49 [1978]: 95–114.

Johansen RM (1983) El genero Elaphrothrips Buffa, 1909 (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) en el continente Americano; su sistematica, evolucion, biogeografia y biologia. Monogr. Instituto de Biologia de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico 1: 1-267. 

Mound LA & Palmer JM (1983) The generic and tribal classification of spore-feeding Thysanoptera (Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 46: 1–174.