Hydatothrips williamsi (Hood) Hood, 2016

Lima, Élison Fabrício B. & Mound, Laurence A., 2016, Species-richness in Neotropical Sericothripinae (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), Zootaxa 4162 (1), pp. 1-45 : 9-10

Hydatothrips williamsi (Hood) comb. n.

Sericothrips williamsi Hood, 1928: 230 .

Female macroptera. Colour: body yellow with light brown markings, head and metanotum brown with ocellar triangle darker, pronotal blotch light brown, tergites II–VI with antecostal ridge dark and brown markings anterolaterally, VII–X yellow; fore wing more or less uniformly brownish yellow with weak shadings around subbasal paler area, clavus pale; antennal segments I–III pale, IV brown; hind tibiae yellow, femora light brown distally.

Structure: Occipital apodeme confluent with posterior margin of eyes, mouth cone extending beyond fore coxae; ocellar area apparently not striate; antennal segments III & IV elongate with apex constricted into slender neck; pronotum transversely striate-reticulate on anterior area, blotch striate with setae irregular, anterior margin distinct; mesonotal setae almost in transverse row; metanotum with poorly defined striations; metasternal plate with deeply U-shaped emargination. Fore wing second vein with no setae distally; tergites VII–VIII with complete comb of microtrichia on posterior margin, no comb medially on remaining tergites; tergite IX with 3 pairs of middorsal setae.

Male macroptera. Similar to female, but smaller and with head slightly paler (ocellar area still darker); sternites V–VII with one circular pore plate.

Larva II. Clear with dark markings all over the body; abdominal segments IX and X brown. Antennae 7- segmented. Thorax with brown sclerotized lateral areas on pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum. Body with several brown setae with expanded and roundly fringed apices (apex about 3 times as long as base) arising from well-developed brown rings; setal pair II on tergites III–VI with flatly expanded apex.

Material Studied. Holotype female, ST CROIX, Virgin Islands, 9.iii.1915 ( USNM) . ECUADOR, Galápagos Is., Floreana Fucia Cruz , 1 female, 27.iii–16 . iv.1996, 1 female, 3–16. iv.1996, 1 female 16–22.iv.1996 (ANIC). BRAZIL, Ceará State, Tianguá , 1 female, 1 male and 1 larva II on leaves of unidentified plant, 13.ii.2016 (E.F.B. Lima) ; Piauí State, Bom Jesus , 1 female on Chamaesyce sp., 30.vii.2012 (R. Querino), Floriano, 1 male on grasses, 23.ii.2016 (E.F.B.Lima) ( UFPI) ; Rio Grande do Sul State , Eldorado do Sul, 1 female, 12.xi.2009 (L. Podgaiski) ( UFRGS) ; São Paulo State, Juquiá Cedro , 1 female on Allamanda polyantha , 15.ii.2003 (E. Miyasato) ( IBSP) .

Comments. Hood described this species from a single female and compared it to tricinctus . This holotype is faded and rather opaque, and not possible to photograph clearly. The metasternal plate is not clearly visible, and most previous workers have assumed that this structure does not have an emarginate anterior margin. In contrast, freshly mounted specimens from Galapagos Islands and Brazil have a deeply U-shaped emargination, and the species is therefore here referred to Hydatothrips . It is now known to be widespread through the Neotropics from the Caribbean Islands to southern Brazil. The species has the four mesonotal setae almost in a transverse row (at most two lines of sculpture distant), the antennal segments slender and the presence of three pairs of mid-dorsal setae on tergite IX. The pronotal posteroangular setae are long, about twice as long as the median length of the pronotal blotch. Hoddle and Mound (2011) listed Hydatothrips williamsi from Galapagos Islands, but did not mention the homonym that this thus created in the Australian fauna. As a result of the new combination given above, Hydatothrips tareei nom. nov. is proposed as a replacement name for the Australian species, H. williamsi Mound & Tree (2009) .