Apelaunothrips desleyae, Mound, Laurence A., 2013

Mound, Laurence A., 2013, Species diversity in the Palaeotropical leaf-litter genus Apelaunothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae), Zootaxa 3741 (1), pp. 181-193 : 189-190

Apelaunothrips desleyae sp.n.

( Figs 7 , 18 )

Female macroptera. Body and legs almost entirely yellow with tube brown; lateral margins of pterothorax faintly brown; antennal segments I–II yellow, III yellow with apical half pale brown, IV–VIII uniformly dark brown; fore wing shaded distal to sub-basal setae, pale medially then with darker on distal third; major setae pale.

Head less than 1.2 times as long as wide, cheeks with no prominent setae ( Fig. 7 ); vertex with no sculpture medially, weak lines of sculpture present on about lateral fifths of head; stylets retracted to postocular setae, about one fifth of head width apart medially; postocellar setae longer than an ocellus; postocular setae capitate. Antennal sensoria long, 3 on III, 4 on IV; VIII not constricted at base ( Fig. 18 ).

Pronotum with reticulate sculpture only near posterior margin; notopleural sutures not fully complete; am setae minute and acute, remaining four pairs capitate. Mesonotum with lateral setae small; metanotum reticulate, median setae small and pointed. Prosternal ferna large, anterior margin with small setae; mesopraesternum complete. Fore wing without duplicated cilia; sub-basal setae S1 and S2 capitate, S3 acute.

Pelta broadly hat-shaped without lateral wings, median area reticulate, lateral area not sculptured, no campaniform sensilla; wing retaining setae on tergite II weakly developed, sigmoid on III–VII; tergite IX setae S1 shorter than tube with apices weakly expanded, intermediate setal pair long, S2 long and acute.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1650. Head, length 175; width 150; postocellar setae 25; postocular setae 40. Pronotum, length 115; width 180; major setae—am 20, aa 30, ml 35, epim 50, pa 50. Mesonotum lateral seta 15. Fore wing, length 620; sub-basal setae 35, 40, 30. Tergite IX, setae S1 65; iS 50; S2 125; S3 50. Tube length 100. Antennal segments III–VIII length, 50, 55, 45, 40, 30, 25.

Male macroptera. Similar to female but smaller and more slender; sternite VIII without pore plate.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, Australia, Queensland, Cape Tribulation, from dead leaves, 7.vii.1995 (LAM2725), in Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra. Paratypes from same locality as holotype, 2 females from dead Calamus leaves, 9.vii.1995 (LAM 2743); 20km south of Cape Tribulation, Lync Haven, 1 male by spraying tree bark, 5.x.2012 (DJ Tree 1475) (in Queensland Primary Industries Insect Collection, Brisbane).

Comments. This species is unusual within Apelaunothrips in having no duplicated wing cilia, reduced pronotal anteromarginal setae, and incomplete notopleural sutures. In these character states it is similar to species of another Southeast Asian genus, Phylladothrips Priesner , but the nine species in that genus have wing-retaining setae on tergite VIII. The maxillary stylets of desleyae are about 6 microns wide, as in other members of this genus, and the intermediate pair of setae on tergite IX is almost as long as setal pair S1. In body colour, it can be compared only to lucidus from India, but the un-illustrated description of that species includes few structural details and no specimens have been traced.

Figures

FIGURES 5 – 8. Apelaunothrips species, head & pronotum. (5) madrasensis; (6) medioflavus from East Timor; (7) desleyae sp. n.; (8) ocularis ventral surface of head.

FIGURES 16 – 22. Apelaunothrips species, antennae. (16) bogor sp. n.; (17) consimilis; (18) desleyae sp. n.; (19) flavicornis; (20) gombak sp. n.; (21) madrasensis; (22) medioflavus.