Species not studied at the present work. Body white and wings pale. Antennae 7- segmented, and female antennal segments III–IV bear forked sense cones. Head with few lines of sculpture and lacking pigmentation at anterior margin; ocellar setae pair I absent. Pronotum with transverse sculpture lines and 4 pairs of long setae at posterior margin. Metathoracic endofurca lyre-shaped. Metanotum with closely spaced longitudinal lines of sculpture; paired campaniform sensilla absent. Tarsi 1-segmented. Fore wing first vein largely incomplete and second vein with two prominent setae on distal half. Abdominal tergites I–VIII covered with microtrichia arranged laterally on the sculpture lines; II–VIII with a pair of long and close together median setae; VIII with posteromarginal comb of microtrichia. Both sexes fully winged.
Male with simple sense cones on antennal segments III–IV and without pore plates on abdominal sternites.
Intraspecific variation
Not recorded.
Genus and similar species information
The New Worldgenus Leucothrips includes five species, all of them small and white coloured, and with lyre-shaped metathoracic endofurca. This group is not clearly distinguished from the Neotropical genus Halmathrips, and is also closely related to Pseudodendrothrips.
World distribution
Described from Guadaloupe, this species is widespread in the Caribbean region. It is also recorded from Brazil, Japan and USA.
Reported damaging leaves of cotton and chayote. In Brazil, Lima & Souza-Filho (2018) described severe chlorosis on the leaves and scarification on the fruits of chayote caused by this thrips.
References suggested
Lima EFB & Souza-Filho MF (2018) Leucothrips furcatus (Thysanoptera Thripidae): a new pest of Sechium edule (Cucurbitaceae) in Brazil. Bulletin of Insectology 71: 189-191.
Masumoto M & Okajima S (2017) Studies on Dendrothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) from Japan, with new records and one new species. Zootaxa 4362 (3): 405-420.
Mound LA (1999) Saltatorial leaf-feeding Thysanoptera (Thripidae, Dendrothripinae) in Australia and New Caledonia, with newly recorded pests of ferns, figs and mulberries. Australian Journal of Entomology 38: 257–273.
Published in: 27/12/2018 Posted by: Mariana Lindner
