Scirtothrips eremicus, Hoddle, Mark S. & Mound, Laurence A., 2003

Hoddle, Mark S. & Mound, Laurence A., 2003, The genus Scirtothrips in Australia (Insecta, Thysanoptera, Thripidae), Zootaxa 268, pp. 1-40 : 19-20

Scirtothrips eremicus sp. nov.

[ Figs 9 , 22 ]

Female macroptera. Colour: Body yellow with brown markings medially on tergites and sternites, also on head anterior to ocelli; compound eyes with no ommatidia strongly pigmented; antecostal ridges on tergites III­VIII dark across full width of segments, on sternites IV­VII strongly shaded; forewings weakly shaded; antennal segment I pale, II dark, III pale with apex shaded, IV – V darker with base pale, VI – VIII uniformly dark.

Structure: Head about twice as wide as long, postocular and ocellar region closely striate; ocellar setae pair III arise with ocellar triangle, distance between their bases about equal to diameter of first ocellus; compound eyes with no ommatidia strongly pigmented; three pairs of post­ocellar setae at least as long as ocellar setae pair III. Pronotum closely striate, with 3 pairs of anterior marginal setae, 13­18 discal setae; 5 pairs of posteromarginal setae, pairs I­III all approximately equal in length and thickness, S2 sometimes clearly longer than S1. Metanotum transverse striate anteriorly, longitudinally reticulate posteriorly; median pair of setae at anterior margin. Forewing scale with 3­4 marginal setae; first vein setae 3­11+1­8+1­2+0­1; second vein 5­7 setae; posteromarginal fringe cilia straight. Tergites III­V with bases of median setae usually separated <0.75 length of these setae; tergal microtrichial fields with 3 discal setae; VIII with discal microtrichia present anteromedially, posteromarginal comb interrupted medially; tergite IX with discal microtrichia absent or very weak. Sternites with lateral microtrichial fields weak, not extending mesad of S2 marginal setae; median setae on sternites IV – VI sometimes arising slightly in front of posterior margin.

Measurements of holotype female. Body length 1150. Head, length 75; width 170; p.o. S1 18. Pronotum, length 100; width 175; posteromarginal setae S1 15, S2 15. Forewing length 650. Antennal segments III – VI, 50, 43, 37, 45.

Male macroptera. Similar to female in colour and sculpture, but smaller; tergite VIII posteromarginal comb interrupted medially; segment IX without drepanae, anterior margin strongly convex, extending into segment VII; aedeagus with paired array of stout spines.

Holotype Female. Queensland, Pentland, on Acacia shirleyi [Leguminosae], 3.iv.1998 (LAM 3483). Paratypes: 6 females, 1 male collected with holotype.

Material excluded from type series: Queensland, 143km north of Adavale, 8 females from Acacia pendula , 5.iv.1998 (LAM 3511); Weengallon, 4 females from Acacia sp., 10.i.1997 (D. Morris 237). Western Australia, 74km south of Tom Price, 7 females 1 male from Acacia citrinoviridis young phyllodes, 23.iv.1997 (LAM 3198); 42km west of Paraburdoo, 2 females from Acacia citrinoviridis , 23.iv.1997 (LAM 3201); 20km east of Wittenoom, 2 females from Acacia bivenosa , 25.ix.1995 (LAM 2845); Millstream, 9 females 2 males from Acacia sp. phyllodes, 23.ix.1995 (LAM 2813, 2816).

Comments

The material excluded from the type series of S. eremicus exhibits a confusing pattern of character states, although the available males appear to have similar paired arrays of stout spines laterally on the aedeagus. However, ocellar setae III of most of these specimens are further apart, commonly approaching the lateral margins of the ocellar triangle, and each compound eye has four distinctive darkly pigmented ommatidia. This species, or species­group, appears to be widely distributed across northern Australia just south of the monsoon belt, presumably in association with one or more species of Acacia . Lancewood, Acacia shirleyi , the plant from which the type series was taken, is common in semi­arid and temperate areas of inland north­eastern Australia from Toowoomba, Queensland, to Victoria River, Northern Territory.

Figures

FIGURES 1 ­ 10. Scirtothrips heads and pronota. 1, akakia; 2, albomaculatus; 3, aurantii; 4, australiae; 5, casuarinae; 6, dorsalis; 7, dorsalis; 8, drepanofortis; 9, eremicus; 10, dobroskyi.

FIGURES 21 ­ 31. Scirtothrips pro­ meso­ and metanota. 21, astibos; 22, aurantii; 23, aurantii; 24, eremicus; 25, australiae; 26, dorsalis; 27, dorsalis; 28, aurantii; 29, quadriseta; 30, moneres; 31, dobroskyi.