Female macroptera. Body, legs and antennae yellow, antennal segment VI light brown, also VII–VIII; abdominal segment X and distal half of IX brown; major setae pale; fore wing weakly shaded in basal third, then darker medially with apex pale; compound eyes with 5 pigmented facets. Antennal sensorial simple. Head with anterior margin slightly conical; ocellar setae pair I wide apart, pair III arising between hind margins of posterior ocelli; maxillary palps 3-segmented. Pronotum posterior margin with 4 pairs of setae, outer posteroangular setae shorter than inner pair. Prosternal basantra granulate, with one pair of setae; fernal plates large with slender median connection. Metanotal sculpture transverse at anterior, linear on posterior half. Fore wing first vein with 3 + 2 setae on basal half, 3 widely spaced setae on distal half; second vein with 5 to 7 widely spaced setae; clavus with 4–5 marginal but no discal setae. Hind tibia with row of stout setae on inner margin. Tergal sculpture weak, particularly medially; II–VIII with campaniform sensilla close to posterior margin; craspedum broad on II–VIII, with long prominent teeth on VII–VIII; tergites VI–VIII with prominent microtrichia on 3 or 4 lines of sculpture laterally; IX with 2 pairs of campaniform sensilla, median dorsal setae small and slender. Sternites II–VII with transverse row of 5–9 discal setae medially; craspedum of long teeth on II–VI complete medially, incomplete on VII.
Male not known.
The genus Monothrips includes two species, both of which are known only from macropterous females. These species share character states with the apterous species of Caprithrips, but the most closely related genus is probably Masamithrips, despite the presence of a toothed craspedum on the abdominal sternites. M. cuspis differs from M. flavus in having a complete craspedum of long teeth on sternites II–VI.
Known only from Australia.
Feeding and breeding on leaves
Native grasses (Poaceae).
Monothrips cuspis Mound
Mound LA. 2011. Grass-dependent Thysanoptera of the family Thripidae from Australia. Zootaxa 3064: 1–40. http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt03064p040.pdf