Scirtothrips africanus Faure

Mound, Laurence A. & Stiller, Michael, 2011, Species of the genus Scirtothrips from Africa (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), Zootaxa 2786, pp. 51-61 : 53

Scirtothrips africanus Faure

( Figs 7–10 )

Scirtothrips africanus Faure, 1929: 12

Described from 63 females and 32 males, this species was collected in Transvaal and Cape Province from plants in several different genera but with no indication of any specificity. Some females have been taken on Dodonaea viscosa together with the new species described below from that plant. The problems of viewing surface details on specimens dating from the 1929 paper are indicated by comparing Figures 9 (old specimen) and 10 (recent specimen).

Diagnosis. Body mainly yellow with tergal antecostal ridge pale; antennal segments III–VIII usually weakly shaded; forewing pale. Ocellar setae III behind first ocellus, ocellar region transversely striate; pronotum closely striate, posteromarginal setae no more than 0.3 as long as pronotum, S2 scarcely longer than S1; fore wing second vein with 4–6 setae, cilia wavy; metanotum with variable elongate reticulation ( Figs 9, 10 ); terga VI–VII microtrichial fields with two lateral discal setae; terga VIII–IX with no microtrichia medially; sterna with no prominent microtrichia medially but some sculpture lines bear minute microtrichial-like asperities.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Scirtothrips species. S. aurantii 1 – 3: (1) Head & pronotum; (2) Terga VII – IX; (3) Sterna V – VII. S. dorsalis 4 – 6: (4) Head & pronotum; (5) Terga VII – IX; (6) Sterna V – VII. S. africanus 7 – 10: (7) Terga VI – IX; (8) Head; (9) Metanotum (of paratype); (10) Metanotum.