Holopothrips johanseni, Lindner & Ferrari & Mound & Cavalleri, 2018

Lindner, Mariana F., Ferrari, Augusto, Mound, Laurence A. & Cavalleri, Adriano, 2018, Holopothrips diversity-a Neotropical genus of gall-inducing insects (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae), Zootaxa 4494 (1), pp. 1-99 : 53-55

Holopothrips johanseni sp. n.

( Figs 138–144 )

Diagnostic features. Body (except antenna) uniformly brown; second pair of shorter postocular setae sometimes present; maxillary stylets parallel; one pair of long pronotal setae on epimeral region; metanotal sculpture with thin elongate reticles, looking almost striate; metapleural sutures absent; reticulation on pelta not reaching posterior margin and without internal markings; male with three pore plates on sternites VI–VIII, posterior plate interrupted medially on VI–VII; female spermatheca enlarged medially.

Macropterous female: Body ( Fig. 138 ) uniformly brown, with fore tibiae, apex of mid and hind tibiae and all tarsi yellow. Antennal segments I–II concolourous with head, II yellow on extreme apex, III–VI yellow, VII yellow basally and lightly shaded brown apically, VIII very light brown. Fore wings shaded, median dark line present, clavus shaded; major body setae light brown.

Head ( Fig. 139 ) about 1.3 times longer than width behind eyes, dorsal surface with transverse lines of sculpture, sometimes enclosing few elongate reticles; cheeks slightly curved. Eyes well-developed, dorsal length about 0.4 of head length; two pairs of postocular setae present: internal pair of variable length, but usually shorter and with acute apexes; external pair longer and with capitate apexes, slightly shorter than the dorsal width of the compound eye. Maxillary stylets parallel, reaching po level and about a fourth to a third of head width apart. Mouth cone with rounded tip, not reaching the anterior margin of ferna. Antennal segments III and IV with 3 sense cones each.

Pronotum ( Fig. 139 ) trapezoidal, surface smooth medially, but with transversely elongate reticles near posterior margin and reticulation faintly indicated anteriorly; epimeral sutures incomplete. Five major pairs of pronotal setae, one pair on epimeral region; all pairs well-developed and with expanded to capitate tips. Basantra absent; prosternal ferna well-developed, close medially and touching in at least one observed specimen. Mesonotum ( Fig. 140 ) with small irregular reticulation medially, elongate laterally; internal markings on sculpture present. Metanotum ( Fig. 140 ) with strongly marked longitudinal lines, enclosing some irregular elongate reticles; internal markings faintly present in some anterior and median reticles. Three or four anterior discal setae and one pair of median major setae present. Fore tarsal hamus not enlarged. Fore wings with four to six duplicated cilia.

Pelta ( Fig. 143 ) triangular, anterior margin straight, without lateral wings; paired campaniform sensilla present. Sculpture covering the median area of pelta, weaker or absent near posterior margin and anterior region; few equiangular reticles medially, surrounded by elongate reticles; internal markings on sculpture absent. Tergite II apparently smooth medially, faint lines of sculpture laterally. Third pair of WR setae present on tergites II–VII. Tergite IX setae S1 with expanded to capitate apexes, S2 blunt to slightly expanded, S3 finely acute. Tube about 0.7 of head length and about 2.4 times as long as greatest width near base, apical width about half of basal width. Spermatheca ( Fig. 142 ) swollen medially.

Measurements (female holotype in microns): Length about 2212, head length 247, width behind compound eyes 181, po length 57, eye dorsal length 107; median length of pronotum 117, width across ep 260, am 50, aa 39, ml 62, ep 97, pa 85; width of mesonotum 287; fore wing length 900; tergite IX setae S1 135, S2 162, S3 150; tergite X length 200, basal width 82, apical width 42; length(width) of antennal segments III–VIII: 67(30), 55(29), 60(27), 55(22), 45(20), 35(12), respectively.

Macropterous male: Similar to female in structure and colour, but slightly smaller. Pore plates ( Fig. 141 ) with punctuate texture and present on sternites VI–VIII: two anteroangular plates and one transverse band posterior to discal setae; the posterior band is interrupted medially on VI–VII.

Measurements (male paratype in microns): Length about 1906, head length 215, width behind compound eyes 167, po length 47, eye dorsal length 95; median length of pronotum 105, width across ep 237, am 40, aa 32, ml 55, ep 87, pa 72; width of mesonotum 260; fore wing length 790; tergite IX setae S1 117, S2 135, S3 157; tergite X length 162, basal width 75, apical width 40; length(width) of antennal segments III–VIII 60 (25), 45(27), 52(25), 52(20), 45(20), 30(10), respectively.

Material studied. Holotype female, Costa Rica, Braulio Carrillo National Park, in Drymonia sp. twisted leaves, 13.iv.1992, at BMNH. Code LAM 2241 .

Paratypes: 7 males and 5 females collected with holotype, at BMNH.

Etymology. Species named after Dr. Roberto Johansen, for his contributions to the studies of neotropical Thysanoptera .

Comments. This species is unusual in having a second pair of postocular setae, internally to the usual major pair ( Fig. 139 ); it is possible that these setae are actually one of the postocellar pair, dislocated from the usual position. These setae are variable in length, and in few observed specimens only one seta of the pair was longer than discal setae ( Fig. 139 ). Another difference in relation to other Holopothrips species is the lack of metapleural sutures ( Fig. 144 ). Teneral adults of both sexes are yellow with a dark marking anteromedially on the tergites. Holopothrips johanseni has some similarities with H. reticulatus sp. n., but the latter differs in the two characters mentioned above, plus having internal markings in the sculpture on pelta and female spermatheca not enlarged.

This species has been mentioned by the code “ sp. n. CR2” in Mound & Marullo (1996). The specimens from BMNH we studied were labelled by R. M. Johansen with an unavailable manuscript name.

Figures

FIGURES 138–144. Holopothrips johanseni sp. nov. holotype and paratypes. (138) body; (139) head and pronotum, showing the secondary postocular setae (white arrow); (140) mesonotum and anterior half of metanotum; (141) pore plates on abdominal sternites VI–VIII (black arrows); (142) spermatheca (white arrow); (143) pelta; (144) mesosternum and metasternum, showing the absence of metapleural sutures (white circles).