Priesneriella citricauda Hood

Mound, Laurence A., 2007, New Australian spore-feeding Thysanoptera (Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae), Zootaxa 1604, pp. 53-68 : 63

Priesneriella citricauda Hood

( Fig. 18 )

Priesneriella citricauda Hood, 1927: 199

Until now, this species has been known only from apterae collected in Santa Clara County, California ( Cott, 1956). In contrast, it is here recorded from four different sites in the north west of Western Australia. The specimens listed by Cott (1956) from California have been re-examined, and they are considered to represent the same species as the Australian specimens that include apterae of both sexes, as well as female micropterae and one female macroptera. Three specimens taken near Broome have the posteroangular setae on tergites VI–VIII weakly capitate and shorter than the tergites, whereas in the Californian apterae these setae are finely acute and longer than each tergite. Similarly, the pronotal setae differ in form between these samples. Moreover, the apex of antennal segment V is truncate in the Broome individuals ( Fig. 18 ), and there is a faint suture visible between segments VI and VII, whereas segment V is weakly constricted apically in the Californian specimens and segments VI–VII are fused with no suture present. Despite these differences, two specimens taken near Dampier are similar to Californian specimens in all character states, and one male from Barrow Island has the tergal posteroangular setae intermediate, being long but capitate. Interpopulation variation is to be expected in wingless species, and presumably the disjunct distribution represents another example of the transoceanic dispersal that has been recognised in several other fungus-feeding thrips (Mound, 1983). Furthermore, considering the variation in the Australian specimens, the species probably originally came from this continent.

Macropterae have not previously been recorded in this, nor most congeneric, species. The available macropterous female has parallel-sided forewings with no duplicated cilia, and tergites III–VII each have one pair of unusually elongate sigmoid wing-retaining setae.

Material studied. Western Australia; Broome, 1 female aptera from lawn grass, 28.ii.2005; 20km east of Broome, 1 female microptera from dead wood, 28.ii.2005; 20km east of Broome, 1 female macroptera from Cenchrus setiger , 1.iii.2005; 90km south east of Dampier, 1 female microptera, 1 male aptera from Acacia coriacea , 23.ix.1995; Barrow Island, 1 male aptera, v.2006.

Figures

FIGURES 11 – 18. Minaeithrips and Priesneriella. 11, M. aliceae head; 12, M. aliceae, Tergite IX and tube; 13, M. driesseni, Head; 14, M. driesseni, Tergite IX and tube; 15, M. driesseni, Prosternites; 16, M. aliceae, Antenna; 17, M. driess-