Zactinothrips modestus Hood, 1941: 230.

Referência original: Hood JD (1941) A century of new American Thysanoptera II. Revista de Entomologia 12: 139–243.

Family

Phlaeothripidae, Idolothripinae

Nomenclatural information 

https://thrips.info/wiki/Zactinothrips_modestus 

Diagnosis

Male macropterous; body color mainly dark brown, slightly paler in basal half of head, thorax, first two abdominal segments, apex of tube, legs knees and tarsi; antennomeres I–II and VII–VIII dark brown almost black, III yellowish with extreme base dark brown, IV yellowish with apex slightly shaded, V yellowish with apex brown, VI yellowish to brown basally and dark brown apically; wings slightly shaded with brown, darker basally and marginally, with black median line. Antennae 8-segmented, antennomere III with 2 and IV with 4 main sense cones, besides multiple minute sense cones on antennomeres III to V. Head longer than wide, projected in front of eyes, lateral margins slightly sinuous; postocular setae long and dark, ocellar setae short or absent; lateral margins with two pairs of long stout setae and many smaller and fine setae, a pair of tubercles present lateroventrally. Pronotum without sculpture, only epimeral setae long and stout, other pronotal setae short or reduced; prosternal basantra absent. Metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Abdominal segment I with one pair of setae arising from lateral sclerites, isolated from pelta. Pore plates absent. Tube cylinder-shaped, about 9–10x as long as basal width, with several lateral setae. All legs similar in appearance, fore femora with 3 long and dark setae near the apex, fore tarsi with an enlarged curved tooth. Fore wings with around 30 duplicated cilia.

Female not studied.

Intraspecific variation

Many characters seem to be influenced by the size or sex of the specimen, like antennae coloration (paler in smaller specimens); number of minute sense cones in the antennae (less cones in smaller specimens and/or females); metanotal sculpture (weaker or partially absent in smaller specimens). The development of pronotal midlateral setae and the size of male fore tarsal tooth is also different among individuals.

Genus and similar species information
Zactinothrips is a genus with only two species, recorded in some countries in Central and South Americas. Both species have a lot of morphological variation associated with size, and it is possible that they represent a single highly variable taxon. Zactinothrips is closely related to Actinothrips, and both genera share some characteristics like the elongated head with two pairs of stout setae laterally, absence of basantra and metathoracic sternopleural sutures, tube long with multiple lateral setae. Zactinothrips is unique among the Idolothripinae genera in Brazil, for bearing many minute sense cones dorsally and ventrally on antennomeres III and IV, especially in males. Both Zactinothrips species are distinguished mainly by the coloration of antennomere III: yellowish with dark brown apical third in Z. elegans, yellowish with apical third not darkened in Z. modestus.

Distribution around the world

Described from Peru and recorded from Brazil and Costa Rica.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/26344 

Life history

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

Economic importance

Not recorded.

References suggested
Hood JD (1941) A century of new American Thysanoptera II. Revista de Entomologia 12: 139–243.

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. 

Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.