Nesothrips badius ( Hood, 1918: 143 ) Eow, 2014

Eow, Li-Xin, 2014, Australian species of spore-feeding Thysanoptera in the genera Carientothrips and Nesothrips (Thysanoptera: Idolothripinae), Zootaxa 3821 (2), pp. 193-221 : 215

Nesothrips badius ( Hood, 1918: 143) comb.n.

( Figs 48 , 56, 59 )

Described in Cryptothrips , this species was transferred to Bolothrips by Mound (1974 a) because of the long head and small eyes ( Fig. 48 ), as well as its habitat at the base of grasses and sedges. Subsequently it was re-assigned to Carientothrips because of the presence of four sensoria on the fourth antennal segment ( Mound 1974b). However, it is here transferred to Nesothrips because of the arrangement of the maxillary stylets, wide apart and V-shaped in the head ( Fig. 48 ), and because of the form of the maxillary palps, with the first segment short and quadrate and the second segment three times as long as the first ( Fig. 56 ). This species is widespread in eastern Australia from northern Queensland to Tasmania, and is also common in New Zealand ( Mound & Walker 1986). The most closely related species is barrowi sp.n. that is known only from a single specimen taken on Barrow Island, off the northwestern coast of Western Australia.

Diagnosis. Usually effectively apterous with the wing lobe less than 40 microns long and the ocelli absent; body, legs and antennae dark brown with segment III briefly paler at base ( Fig. 59 ); head elongate, cheeks sinuate, constricted behind eyes but broader medially, maxillary stylets wide V-shaped, not retracted as far as postocular setae; eyes small, postocellar and postocular setae small and acute; pronotum am setae small, remaining major setae not large; mesopresternum boat-shaped, metathoracic sternopleural sutures not present; metanotum weakly sculptured; pelta very broadly triangular with rounded corners; tergites with about 10 discal setae in median transverse row, median pair longer than lateral setae, wing-retaining setae long and straight; tergite IX setae acute, about as long as tube. Male smaller than female, with fore tarsal tooth; pronotum of large male with thickened median apodeme.

Figures

FIGURES 47–55. Nesothrips species. Head: (47) lativentris, (48) badius, (49) barrowi, (50) coorongi, (51) propinquus, (52) minor major male, (53) carveri, (54) brigalowi, (55) rossi.

FIGURES 56–61. Nesothrips species. Maxillary palps: (56) badius. Eye ventral surface: (57) propinquus. Antennal segments III–VIII: (58) yanchepi, (59) badius, (60) barrowi. Antennal segments II–VIII: (61) carveri.