Original reference: Cavalleri A & Mound LA (2014) The neotropical flower-living genus Lenkothrips (Thysanoptera, Heterothripidae): three new species and an identification key. Zootaxa 3814: 581–590.
Body dark brown; femora largely brown, tibiae brown medially with pale apices; all tarsi yellow; antennal segments largely brown, I & II darker, pedicel of III yellowish; fore wing brown with a large paler area sub-basally. Head about 1.5 times wider than long, with no long setae, three pairs of minute ocellar setae present, pair III inside ocellar triangle. Antenna 9-segmented, segment III longer than IV, both with a long and continuous sensorial area extending laterally to almost all of the segment length. Pronotum with distinct lines of sculpture; with no long setae. Mesonotum with transverse elongate reticles; metanotum with irregular sculpture, forming concentric lines posteromedially bearing many microtrichia. Fore wing with two complete rows of strong, brown setae. Abdominal tergites I–VIII with independent fringe of posteromarginal microtrichia, well developed laterally on I–V but with few teeth medially; lateral thirds covered with dense rows of fine microtrichia. Sternites with 6 pairs of posteromarginal setae arising well in front of posterior margin; sternal discal setae absent.
Male smaller and slightly paler than female; sternites IV–VIII each one with a large transverse pore plate at antecostal ridge.
Intraspecific variation
Not recorded.
Genus and similar species information
The Lenkothrips genus comprises eight species of flower feeding thrips, all described from South America. These species resemble Heterothrips species in external morphology, but they differ in having the circumpolar sensorial areas on antennal segments III–IV extending into a continuous lateral loop to the base of their segments. Lenkothrips guaraniticus resembles L. kaminskii, but it can be distinguished by the uniformly brown antennal segment IV and the short and broad antennal segments VIII & IX. An updated key to species is provided by Lima et al. (2024).
Flower-feeding species associated with Janusiaguaranitica (Malpighiaceae).
Economic importance
Not recorded.
References suggested
Cavalleri A & Mound LA (2014) The neotropical flower-living genus Lenkothrips (Thysanoptera, Heterothripidae): three new species and an identification key. Zootaxa 3814: 581–590.
