Body brown; femora extensively brown; fore tibiae yellow with light brown markings, mid & hind tibiae largely yellow at base and apex; tarsi yellow; antennal segments brown, III yellowish brown; fore wings brown, but with paler at base. Head about as wide as long, with no long setae, ocellar region with only two pairs of setae. Antennae 9-segmented, segments III & IV each with one transverse row of sensorial pores at apex, basal stem of segment III divided into 5 or 6 parts. Pronotum with faint transversal lines of sculpture, with no long setae; mesonotum with transverse striate; metanotum with concentric lines of sculpture, not forming a triangle and covered with microtrichia. Fore wing with two rows of brown setae. Abdominal tergites I–V with posteromarginal comb of independent microtrichia laterally, II–V with a few marginal microtrichia medially; VI–VIII with complete posteromarginal comb; lateral thirds covered with irregular lines of sculpture bearing fine microtrichia. Sternites II–VI with a long microtrichial fringe on posterior margin and without discal setae.
Male smaller; sternites VII–VIII each with a large transverse pore plate at antecostal ridge.
Intraspecific variation
Not recorded.
Genus and similar species information
Heterothrips Hood is the largest genus in the family Heterothripidae, currently comprising more than 70 species. It is restricted to the Americas and two informal groups were proposed by Moulton (1932). Species placed in “group I” bear a posteromarginal fringe of independent microtrichia on the abdominal tergites, whereas species in “group II” have microtrichia that arise on the posterior margin of the tergites from a well-developed craspedum. Antennal segments III & IV each bears apically a circumpolar sensorium with one or more rows of pores. Heterothripsangusticeps is remarkable in having the pale basal half of antennal segment III subdivided into several parts. A key to Heterothrips species recorded from Brazil is given by Pereyra & Cavalleri (2012).
