Trichinothrips breviceps (Bagnall)

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2022, Phlaeothripidae (Thysanoptera) diversity in Australia, with three new generic records and two new species, Zootaxa 5104 (2), pp. 291-296 : 294-295

Trichinothrips breviceps (Bagnall)

( Figs 8–9 )

This species was described from a single damaged male taken in Sri Lanka, that was noted to be predaceous on a psocid. Subsequently it was described under a second name from a single male taken in Malaysia although this was later synonymised ( Mound 1968). Seshadri (1952) provided a clear account of its biology, indicating that the larvae fed on immature psocids and the adult thrips fed on all stages of their prey ( Archipsocus ? recens Enderlein ). Moreover, the prey was essential to this thrips whose larvae failed to develop in the absence of the psocids. The geographic origin of T. breviceps is not clear, because six of the eight species listed in this genus are from Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama or Florida (ThripsWiki 2021). Four of these were based on single specimens, and two of them each on two specimens. The seventh species is based on a single specimen from Java and from its description seems likely to be a synonym of T. breviceps . The biology is not known for any other member of the genus, but the infrequency of collection might suggest that they are all predators rather than fungus-feeders. This is a small, brown species, with the tibiae and tarsi mainly yellow, and the antennal segments brown except for the base of III. The terminal antennal segments VII–VIII are largely fused, and the sense cones on segments III and IV ( Fig. 8 ) are longer than in any other Phlaeothripidae from Australia. The pronotal anteroangular and midlateral setal pairs are placed unusually close to each other ( Fig. 9 ), the metascutum has no lines of sculpture with the median setae long and far apart, and the mesopresternum is remarkable in having the lateral triangles unusually large but the median area slender and largely fused to the anterior margin of the mesoeusternum. In addition to Bagnall’s two type specimens, two females have been studied (in ANIC) that were collected in October, 2005 from just south of Bengalaru, India.

Specimen studied. Northern Territory, Darwin, Holmes Jungle , 1 female from rainforest barkspray, 29.v.2011 (G. Monteith), in QDPC .

Figures

FIGURES 1‒12. Australian Phlaeothripinae. Litotetothrips symplocosae sp.n. 1‒3: (1) Head & pronotum; (2) Metanotum & pelta; (3) Antennal segments II‒VIII. Ponticulothrips mudloi sp.n. 4‒7 (male): (4) Antennal segments II‒VIII; (5) Fore tarsus; (6) Head; (7) Pelta. Trichinothrips breviceps 8‒9: (8) Antenna; (9) Head & thorax. Tylothrips osborni 10‒12: (10) Head; (11) Metathoracic ventro-lateral seta; (12) Pronotum.