Apterothrips Bagnall

Apterothrips Bagnall

Of the two species recognised in this genus, only A. apteris is known from Australia. This species probably originated on the western coast of North America, but is now widespread round the coastal regions of South America to the Falkland Islands and across the southern ocean to Australia and New Zealand. This dispersal was probably effected by the whaling industry. Although commonly taken from the leaves of grasses, A. apteris is associated with Erigeron in coastal California, and has been found damaging lucerne in Western Australia, and garlic in Tasmania. The second species in the genus, A. secticornis, presumably originated in the northern part of the Holarctic. The two species can be distinguished because the sternal craspeda of A. apteris have five lobes, whereas the sternal craspeda of A. secticornis have seven lobes (Mound & Marullo, 1996).