Thrips pretiosus (Priesner)

Taeniothrips pretiosus Priesner, 1938: 347

Described from Zaire, this species appears to be known only from the type series of both sexes, and these were illustrated by Faure (1959). It differs from T. fumosus in having few setae on the distal half of the forewing first vein, but is otherwise similar in sculpture and chaetotaxy.

Diagnosis. Body and femora dark brown, tibiae and tarsi clear yellow, antennal segment III yellowish, IV–V yellow at extreme base; forewing dark with basal area sharply pale; male yellow with abdomen increasingly brown to posterior. Head about as long as wide; ocellar III short, on or near anterior margins of ocellar triangle; postocular setae II and IV very small. Antennae 8-segmented, VII–VIII small, III and IV with constricted apical neck. Pronotum with little sculpture medially; posteroangular setae about 0.7 as long as pronotum; one pair of anteromarginal and one of midlateral setae unusually long. Metanotum reticulate without markings inside reticles, median setae at or close to anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present (Fig. 40). Forewing first vein with 3 setae on distal half; clavus with 5 marginal and one unusually long and stout discal seta. Tergites with sculpture lines scarcely extending mesad of setae S2; VIII with complete comb of short fine microtrichia (absent in male); tergite X long; sternites with about 10 long discal setae in one transverse row.