Deplorothrips diaphorus, Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2016

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2016, Australian mycophagous species of the genus Deplorothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae), Zootaxa 4208 (3), pp. 201-220 : 212

Deplorothrips diaphorus sp.n.

( Figs 2 , 20 , 40, 47 )

Female microptera: Body and femora brown, but tergites VII–VIII pale medially; tibiae and tarsi yellow; antennal segment I brown, II paler at apex, III–V yellow, VI brownish yellow, VII–VIII brown.

Antennal segment VIII constricted to base, lanceolate ( Fig. 20 ); III and IV each with three sense cones; V with 4 sensory hairs (sensilla trichodea) ventrally on distal half. Head longer than wide ( Fig. 2 ), ocelli absent, cheeks with two pairs of short setae; vertex weakly sculptured; po setae long and capitate; mouth cone long and pointed, extending between fore coxae; maxillary pillars scarcely 50 microns long with the levers less than 40 microns, stylets wide apart, retracted to just anterior to occipital ridge. Pronotum transverse, without sculpture except at posterior margin; notopleural sutures usually complete but sometimes weakly incomplete; am setae small, remaining setae long and capitate. Mesonotum with weak transverse reticulation, lateral setal pair capitate. Metanotum almost without sculpture, major setal pair acute. Fore tarsal tooth length 0.5 of tarsal width. Wing lobe small with two capitate setae. Prosternal ferna not meeting medially, mesopraesternum eroded to three small sclerites. Pelta broadly hat-shaped; tergites weakly sculptured, II–VII with 2 pairs of small straight wing-retaining setae, lateral major setae long and capitate; lateral setae on tergite VIII, also setae S1 on IX capitate, S2 on IX bluntly pointed.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2200. Head, length 210; width 200; po setae 85; longest cheek seta 15. Pronotum, length 190; width 310; major setae—am 15, aa 70, ml 80, epim 83, pa 85. Mesonotal lateral setae 35. Fore wing length 70. Tergite IX setae S1 95, S2 90. Tube length 135. Antennal segments III–VIII length 65, 55, 57, 50, 50, 45.

Male microptera: Essentially similar to female, but antennal segment V brown on apical half; large males with more prominent cheek setae, more robust prothorax and fore legs, and larger fore tarsal tooth; inner apex of fore tibiae thickened but without a tubercle; sternites III–VII anterolaterally usually with narrow transverse band of reticulation ( Fig. 47 ); sternite VIII with small circular to weakly oval pore plate medially, 23 x 17 microns ( Fig. 40 ).

Measurements (large paratype male in microns). Body length 1680. Head, length 200; width 165. Pronotum, length 200; width 300. Tube length 135.

Macropterae (both sexes): Similar to micropterae, except antennal segment V mainly light brown, segments IV–VI with numerous sensory hairs (sensilla trichodea) ventrally on distal half, V with about 12 ( Fig. 20 ); fore wing with about 6 duplicated cilia, two sub-basal setae capitate; tergites III–VII with 2 pairs of sigmoid setae; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 both capitate.

Material studied. Holotype female microptera, Australia, Norfolk Island, Mt Pitt , from dead Citrus , 25.x.2013 ( LAM 5841 ).

Paratypes (micropterae except as noted): Norfolk Island, 2 female macropterae, 7 females, 7 males taken with holotype; same site and date, 1 male from Araucaria litter; same site, 4 female, 5 male macropterae, 4 females, 8 males, 22.xii.2013 ; Mt Bate , 9 females, 3 males from dead Citrus , 30.xi.2914 ; Summit Track , 1 female macroptera, 6 females, 6 males from dead branch, 25.xi.2014 . Queensland, Brisbane, Mt Nebo , 2 female macropterae, 8 females, 3 males from dead branch wood, 27.vii.1968 ( LAM 788 ); Mt Glorious, 1 female from dead wood, 11.xi.2009 ; Lamington, O’Reilly’s , 3 female macropterae, 1 female from dead twigs, 9/ 10.x.2006 ; Brisbane , 200km north-west, 1 female macroptera, 1 female from bark spray, 8.iii.2015 .

Comments. In this species, antennal segment VIII is more constricted basally than in any other member of the genus, including villosus . Despite this, diaphorus is otherwise typical of the genus in structure, with the stylets scarcely retracted anterior to the occipital ridge. The antennae are strikingly dimorphic between winged and wingless morphs, both in colour and the presence of extra sensory hairs ventrally on segments IV–VI. In both sexes, macropterae have a group of 10 or more of these small sensilla trichodea ventrally on each of antennal segments IV–VI ( Fig. 20 ), although there are only 4 such sensilla in micropterae. All macropterae and micropterae have three major sense cones on segments III and IV. In contrast to the type series from Norfolk Island, most paratype females from the Brisbane area have the pronotal anteromarginal setae capitate and almost half as long as the anteroangular setae.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Deplorothrips species, head and thorax. (1) villosus holotype; (2) diaphorus female macroptera; (3) paspalus holotype; (4) regina holotype; (5) virgulatus male paratype; (6) makrus female macroptera; (7) norfuki holotype.

FIGURES 20 – 32. Deplorothrips species, antennae. (20) diaphorus, macroptera, segments IV – VIII ventral; (21) chydaeus; (22) deuae (holotype); (23) howei; (24) makrus; (25) minaei; (26) mongai; (27) norfuki; (28) paspalus; (29) regina; (30) retis; (31) virgulatus; (32) villosus.

FIGURES 33 – 47. Deplorothrips species, metanotum and male sternites. (33) howei, large male, meso and metanotum. (34) regina, metanotum and tergites I – II. (35) retis, metanotum and pelta. (36) villosus, large male, metanotum and tergites I – II. (37) norfuki, holotype metanotum and tergites I – II. Male sternite VIII pore plate 38 – 44: (38) chydaeus; (39) deuae; (40) diaphorus; (41) howei; (42) makrus; (43) mongai; (44) villosus. (45) howei, male fore tarsus & tibia. Male sternites V – VI 46 – 47: (46) capitalis; (47) diaphorus.