Desertathrips chuquiraga, Borbón, Carlos Manuel De, 2008

Borbón, Carlos Manuel De, 2008, Desertathrips chuquiraga gen. et sp. n. (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) from Argentina, Zootaxa 1751, pp. 25-34 : 31-33

Desertathrips chuquiraga sp. n.

Female macroptera: Body colour yellow; head brownish yellow, ocelli apparently lacking pigments, mouth cone brown; antennal segment I pale yellow, II yellow, III–V brownish yellow, darker at apex, VI–IX brown; abdomen pale yellow; forewings yellowish.

Head with two pairs of postocular setae behind ocelli, two pairs laterally near cheeks; occipital region transversely striate. Antennal segment III with forked sensorium dorsolaterally, but inner branch weak giving appearance of a simple sense cone; segment IV with forked sensorium ventrally. Forewing first vein usually with a group of about five setae at base, then 6 to 12 setae irregularly spaced; second vein with five to eight setae irregularly spaced. Abdominal tergites I–VIII with transverse lines of sculpture, posteromarginal craspedum smooth and not lobed; comb on tergite VIII with closely spaced, long fine microtrichia replaced laterally with toothed craspedum. Sternites with about eight discal setae in irregular transverse row; sternite II with one or two discal setae.

FIGURES. 10–15. Desertathrips chuquiraga . (10) Female tergite VI; (11) Female tergite VIII; (12) Female tergites IX and X; (13) Female sternite VI; (14) Male sternites II & III; (15) Male tergite IX.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Distended body length 1100. Head, length 90; width 137; ocellar setae III 9. Antennal segments length (width), I 17 (24); II 31 (22); III 29 (17); IV 27 (20); V 32 (18); VI 32 (15); VII 10 (10); VIII 7 (7); IX 13 (5). Pronotum, length 120; width 171; median posteromarginal setae 12. Forewing length 500. Metanotal setae length; median pair 17; lateral pair 22. Tergite VI setae B1 24; tergite VIII setae B1 29; comb teeth 17; tergite IX setae B1 78, setae B2 71.

Male macroptera and microptera. Similar to female in color and structure but smaller, microptera with wing lobe length about 0.4 of thorax width; glandular pore opening present between sternites II and III; tergite VIII with a complete posteromarginal comb; tergite IX with two pairs of stout brown thorn-like setae Measurements (paratype male microptera in microns). Body length distended 850. Head, length 78; width 107; ocellar setae III 6. Antennal segments length (width), I 12 (19); II 27 (21); III 29 (15); IV 26 (15); V 28 (16); VI 27 (15); VII 7 (10); VIII 7 (5) IX 10 (5). Pronotum length (width), 105 (134). Torax width, 161. Metanotal setae length; median pair 5; lateral pair 6. Forewing length, 59.

Second instar larvae: Body yellow to pale yellow; tergites IX–X each with brown posterior band, narrower on IX. Body with plaques arranged transversely on tergites and sternites. Body setae short except pair B1 of sternite VII long, flageliform and placed far apart. Tergites II and VIII each with a pair of spiracles. Tergite IX without posteromarginal teeth, paired campaniform sensilla scarcely further apart than bases of setae B1.

Material examined. Holotype female macroptera, ARGENTINA, Mendoza, Potrerillos, from Chuquiraga erinacea blossom, 24.xi.2007 (de Borbón) (Museo de La Plata). Paratypes: 20 female macropterae, 2 female micropterae, collected with holotype; same host, locality and collector - 9.xii.2007, 9 female macropterae, 1 male microptera; 10.xi.2007, 11 female macropterae; 17.xii.2006, 4 female macropterae, 1 male microptera. Mendoza, Ñacuñan, 12 female 1 male macropterae from Chuquiraga erinacea blossom, 19.xi.2006 (de Borbón).

Paratypes will be deposited in the Museo de La Plata, also in the Laboratorio de Fitovirología de la Estación Experimental Agropecuaria, Mendoza INTA, and in the Natural History Museum, London, the Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt, and the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, Canberra.

Comments. A total of 62 adults were mounted onto slides. Fifty seven were female macropterae, two female micropterae, two male micropterae and one male macroptera. This suggests that female macropterae are more numerous than female micropterae and males, but it would be necessary to examine larger samples to estimate properly the correct ratios between the sexes and macropterae/micropterae, and whether these vary with locality and season.