Idolothrips spectrum

Nomenclatural details

Idolothrips spectrum Haliday in Walker, 1852: 1097.
Idolothrips marginata Haliday in Walker, 1852: 1097.
Idolothrips lacertina Haliday in Walker, 1852: 1097.
Idolothrips marginatus f. invalida Priesner, 1928: 654.
Idolothrips lacertinus f. infirma Priesner, 1928: 654.
Idolothrips terrigena Girault, 1928: 2.
Idolothrips fasciatipennis Girault, 1930: 1.
Idolothrips kellyanus Bagnall, 1932: 518.

Biology and distribution

Described from “New Holland”, i.e. Australia without further specification (I. spectrum, I. marginata, I. lacertina), from Queensland, Australia (I. marginatus f. invalida, I. lacertinus f. infirma, I. terrigena, I. fasciatipennis) and South Australia (I. kellyanus).

Distribution: Idolothrips spectrum spectrum is widespread across Australia from Perth in Western Australia to Tasmania, through much of southern Australia northwards through Queensland including Fraser Island and Cairns, and to Darwin in Northern Territory. A single specimen has also been recorded in a Malaise trap in Auckland, New Zealand.
Idolothrips spectrum is found on dead leaves of various eucalyptus species, where it presumably feeds on fungal spores.

References

Haliday AH (1852) Order III. Physapoda. In Walker F. List of the specimens of homopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum Pt IV: 1094–1118.

Priesner H (1928) Über australische Thysanopteren. Sitzungberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse, Wien 137: 643–659.

Girault AA (1928) Notice of a curious professor and of native wasps and woodlice. Published privately, Brisbane: 4pp.

Girault AA (1930) New pests from Australia VI. Published privately, Brisbane: 3pp.

Bagnall RS (1932) Brief descriptions of new Thysanoptera – XVII. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 10 (10): 505–520.

Mound LA & Palmer JM (1983) The generic and tribal classification of spore-feeding Thysanoptera (Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 46: 1–174.

Mound LA & Walker AK (1986) Tubulifera (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Fauna of New Zealand 10: 1–140.

Type information

Syntypes ♂ (I. spectrum): Standort unbekannt.

Syntypes ♂ (I. marginata): Standort unbekannt.

Syntypes ♂ (I. lacertina): Standort unbekannt.

Syntypes ♂ (I. marginatus f. invalida): Senckenberg-Museum, Frankfurt.

Syntypes ♂ (I. lacertinus f. infirma): Senckenberg-Museum, Frankfurt.

Syntypes ♂ (I. terrigena): Queensland-Museum, Brisbane.

Syntypes (I. fasciatipennis): Queensland-Museum, Brisbane.

Holotype ♀ (I. kellyanus): British Museum of Natural History, London.