Thrips austellus Mound

Mound, Laurence A. & Masumoto, Masami, 2005, The genus Thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, Zootaxa 1020 (1), pp. 1-64 : 16

Thrips austellus Mound

Thrips austellus Mound, 1978: 618

Diagnosis: Body yellow, distal antennal segments brown. Antennae 7­segmented; head with ocellar setae III arising outside ocellar triangle. Pronotal postero­angular setae short and stout. Metanotum with median setae arising behind anterior margin, reticulate medially, campaniform sensilla sometimes present. Forewing first vein with complete row of setae. Abdominal tergites lacking sculpture medially, VIII with posteromarginal comb complete but irregular; pleurotergites with 3–6 discal setae, sternite II with 3 pairs of marginal setae, sternites III–VII with 8–10 discal setae.

Breeding: The only host record is from the flowers of Clematis quadribracteolata .

Distribution: A New Zealand endemic, this species has been recorded on only two occasions ( Mound & Walker, 1982: 71).

Relationships: This is a member of the Thrips obscuratus group that comprises five species in New Zealand and three in New Caledonia ( Mound, 2005). It is particularly similar in structure and sculpture to T. martini described below, although that is much darker with longer pronotal setae and more robustly sculptured tergites.