Body brown; tarsi and tibiae yellow; antennal segments yellowish brown, IV–V yellowish on basal fourth; fore wing strongly shaded. Head with three pairs of ocellar setae, pair III long and arising within ocellar triangle or close to anterior margin. Antennae Antennae 8-segmented, III & IV with forked sense cones; III with cup-shaped pedicel. Pronotum not sculptured and with two pairs of long posteroangular setae; anteroangular and anteromarginal setae long, but less than 0.5 pronotum length. Mesothoracic spinula long, metathoracic spinula absent. Metanotum with transverse lines of sculpture anteriorly, weakly reticulate posteromedially; campaniform sensilla present; two pairs of setae arising at anterior margin. Fore wing with first and second rows of setae complete and closely spaced. Abdominal tergites V–VIII with ctenidia laterally, ctenidia on VIII anterolateral to spiracle; VIII with a complete posteromarginal comb of microtrichia. Sternites without discal setae, with three pairs of long posteromarginal setae. Both sexes fully winged.
Male with transverse pore plates on abdominal sternites III–VII.
Intraspecific variation
Posteromarginal comb on abdominal tergite VIII sometimes with teeth shorter medially.
Genus and similar species information
Frankliniella is one of the largest genera amongst Thysanoptera, comprising more than 160 described species. About 90% of the species are from the Neotropics and their taxonomy is usually complex. Almost all members have 8-segmented antennae, three pairs of ocellar setae and fore wing with both rows of setae complete. About 40 species are recorded from Brazil, and almost half of these were described from this country. Frankliniella brevicaulis is remarkable in having a cup-shaped pedicel on antennal segment III. A key to Frankliniella species recorded from Brazil is provided by Cavalleri & Mound (2012).
