Craspedothrips xanthocerus (Hood, 1916)

Thripinae, Thripidae, Terebrantia, Thysanoptera

Figures

Fig. 1: 8-segmented antenna, terminal segments VI-VIII, segments III and IV with forked sense cone
Fig. 2: Head dorsal with ocellar triangle
Fig. 3: Pronotum
Fig. 4: Meso- and metanotum
Fig. 5: Fore wing, distal region of fore wing
Fig. 6: Meso- and metasternum
Fig. 7: Tergites III-V
Fig. 8: Sternites VI and VII
Fig. 9: Tergites VIII and IX

Craspedothrips xanthocerus causes damage to coffee. Female macropterous; body dark brown; distal half of all tibia and all tarsi yellow; antennal segments III-VIII light yellow (V-VIII shaded); fore wings brown with a paler area in basal fourth. Antennae 8-segmented; segment IV distinctly elongated and fusiform, segments III & IV with forked sense cone, I with pair of small dorso-apical setae, VI bears the stout dagger-shaped sensorium on the external margin (Fig. 1). Head wider than long and prolonged in front of compound eyes; with 2 pairs of ocellar setae, pair I absent, pair III arising on tangent across the anterior margin of, or between hind ocelli (Fig. 2). Pronotum rectangular; with 2 pairs of elongate posteroangular setae (Fig. 3). Mesofurca with median spinula (Fig. 6). Metanotal median area not or only scarcely sculptured; median pair of setae longer than lateral pair and arising at margin; campaniform sensilla present (Fig. 4). Mid and hind tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing first vein with 2 setae on distal third near apex; second vein with a complete row of 16 or 17 setae (Fig. 5). Tergites and sternites without craspeda (Fig. 7); sternites without discal setae; sternite VII with median pair of setae arise in front of posterior margin (Fig. 8 and 9).
Male with greatly enlarged and heavily setose antennal segments IV-VI; sternites without glandular areas.

The genus Craspedothrips zur Strassen, 1966
8 species from the Old World tropics are listed in this genus. Members characterised by antennal segments III & IV broad and distinctly constricted distally, antennal segments V and VI have a stout dagger-shaped sensorium on the external margin, and a long mouth cone. Tergite VIII without posteromarginal comb and sternites without discal setae. A tergal and sternal craspedum as indicated by the genus name (Bhatti 1995) is not always present, and as in Trichromothrips genus-group (Masumoto & Okajima 2005) the first antennal segment bears a pair of dorso-apical setae.

Compared to Craspedothrips xanthocerus, the similar species Craspedothrips hargreavesi has an antennal segment IV that is not distinctly elongated and fusiform, antennal segment III is yellow, IV and V yellow at base, and VI-VIII completely brown, ocellar setae I in front of anterior ocellus is present and distinct, the metanotal median area has transverse reticulations at anterior and irregular longitudinal or equiangular reticulation on posterior half, and the second vein of fore wing has only 9-12 setae. Moreover, in Craspedothrips hargreavesi the tergites have a complete craspedum of unbroken border or flange, and the sternites a craspedum of broken border by 3 pairs of posteromarginal setae. Craspedothrips xanthocerus antennal segment IV distinctly elongated and fusiform, antennal segments III-VIII all with a light yellow color, no or indistinct ocellar setae I in front of anterior ocellus, metanotal median area mostly without sculptured lines or only scarcely sculptured, the second vein of fore wings with 16-17 setae, and tergites and sternites without any craspedum.
Species of Craspedothrips are similar to Chirothrips guillarmodi, Diarthrothrips coffeae, and Scolothrips rhagebianus in having 8-segmented antennae with forked sense cone on segments III and IV, tergite VIII without paired ctenidia and without regular rows of fine microtrichia laterally, and without posteromarginal comb of microtrichia, and in having 2 pairs of elongate pronotal posteroangular setae. But Chirothrips guillarmodi has a trapezoidal pronotum and a mesosternal furca without median spinula, Diarthrothrips coffeae with a metasternal furca with median spinula and tergites with median pair of setae longer than distance between their bases, and Scolothrips rhagebianus has a metasternal furca with median spinula and altogether 6 pairs of elongate pronotal setae.

Life history
As with other thrips species the life cycle from egg to adult is dependent on temperature. The full cycle can take less than a week to over a month and adults may live for more than one month producing several generations in one year depending on seasonal weather (Lewis 1973).

Host plants
Crops: Bixa, coffee, red gram (pigeon pea).

Vector capacity
None identified, but possible mechanical distribution of phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria.

Damage and symptoms
-

Detection and control strategies
-

Biogeography

East Africa. Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda (Kisube).

Barnes HF (1939). Gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) associated with coffee. Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines. 32: 324-336

Bhatti JS (1995). Further studies on Taeniothrips sensu lato (Insecta: Terebrantia: Thripidae). Zoology (Journal of Pure and Applied Zoology). 5 (1): 73-95

Hood JD (1916). A new Physothrips (Thysanoptera) from Uganda, with a note on Physothrips antennatus Bagnall. Canadian Entomologist. 48: 130-132

Lewis T (1973). Thrips: their biology, ecology and economic importance. Academic Press Inc., London Ltd., 349 pp

Masumoto M & Okajima S (2005). Trichromothrips Priesner (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) of Japan and Taiwan, with descriptions of four new species and a review of the Trichromothrips group of genera. Zootaxa. 1082: 1-27

zur Strassen R (1966). Craspedothrips, eine neue aethiopische Thripiden-Gattung (Ins., Thysanoptera) . Senckenbergiana biologica. 47 (6): 443-446