Podothrips lucasseni ( Krueger )

Mound, Laurence A. & Matsunaga, Janis N., 2017, The species of Haplothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) and related genera recorded from the Hawaiian Islands, ZooKeys 662, pp. 79-92 : 88

Podothrips lucasseni ( Krueger)

Remarks.

Described from Java, with one synonym from Hawaii and another from Thailand, this species is widespread in tropical Asia from India to northern Australia ( Ritchie 1974), but specimens have also been studied from South Africa and Madagascar. It is a predatory species on coccoids living on Poaceae , and is particularly associated with sugar cane. A brown species with clear yellow tibiae, it is one of the species of Podothrips in which the fore wings lack duplicated cilia. The fore femora inner margin is slightly rugose, and in large individuals is sometimes rather swollen. But it is unusual within the genus in having a pair of small triangular sclerites lateral to the pelta that represents the first abdominal tergite. As in other members of the genus Podothrips , the prosternal basantra are longer than wide (Fig. 9), and there is a small tubercle on the inner apex of the fore tibiae (Fig. 16).