Scirtothrips fulleri Faure

Scirtothrips fulleri Faure, 1929: 10

Described from 84 females and 31 males collected in Transvaal and Cape Province, particularly from two species of Acacia, this species has also been collected in the Cape Verde Islands (zur Strassen, 1993), including a long series of females from Dichrostachys cinerea (as glomerata) ( Mimosaceae). The thrips is unusual because, in common with inermis, mangiferae and spinosus the tergal microtrichial fields have four, rather than three, setae.

Diagnosis. Body mainly yellow, terga and sterna with dark antecostal ridges but without median dark area; antennal segments III–IV slightly paler than V–VIII; fore wing including clavus weakly shaded but wing apex pale. Ocellar setae III on or just within anterior margins of triangle; pronotum closely striate, posteromarginal setae no more than 0.3 as long as pronotum, S2 about 1.3 times as long as S1; fore wing second vein with 1–5 setae, cilia straight; metanotum transversely striate at anterior, apparently longitudinally striate medially; terga V–VII with 4 setae on each lateral microtrichial field, tergum VIII with microtrichia anteromedially, IX with microtrichia posteromedially; sterna without microtrichia medially. [zur Strassen (1993) states that females from Cape Verde Islands have 1–2 rows of microtrichia medially near the sternal posterior margins; these are not visible on the available paratypes].