Thrips setipennis (Bagnall)

Mound, Laurence A. & Masumoto, Masami, 2005, The genus Thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, Zootaxa 1020 (1), pp. 1-64 : 47-49

Thrips setipennis (Bagnall)

Physothrips setipennis Bagnall, 1916: 399

Physothrips chaetoneurus Karny, 1920: 37

Physothrips ignobilis Bagnall, 1926: 101

Physothrips myrsiniicola Bagnall, 1926: 103

Physothrips quadrisetae Girault, 1927c: 1

Physothrips citrilacteus Girault, 1928a: 1

Physothrips keatsi Girault, 1928c: 3

Diagnosis: Female with body and femora brown, tibiae and tarsi largely yellow; antennal segment III and extreme base of IV yellow, remaining segments brown; forewings brown with base sharply paler. Head wider than long, ocellar setae pair III small and arising on anterior margins of ocellar triangle; postocular setae pairs I & III as long as ocellar setae III, pair II minute. Antennae 8­segmented, III & IV with constricted slender apex and forked sense cone; VII & VIII short. Pronotum with 2 pairs of long postero­angular setae; posterior margin with 3 pairs of setae of which the median pair is relatively long. Metanotum (Fig. 87) with tightly spaced, converging, longitudinal striae; median setae arising behind anterior margin; campaniform sensilla absent. Forewing first and second veins with complete rows of setae; clavus with 5 marginal setae. Tergite II with 4 lateral marginal setae (Fig. 86), the anterior 2 setae equal in length; tergal sculpture lines not extending mesad of setae S2; tergites V–VIII with chaetotaxy and ctenidia typical of Thrips (Fig. 84), VIII with complete posteromarginal comb of slender microtrichia; pleurotergites without discal setae. Sternite II with 2 pairs of marginal setae, III–VII with 3 pairs, VII with median pair arising well in front of margin; all sternites with a few discal setae, but these arise close to or even at posterior margin (Fig. 85).

Male yellow with distal antennal segments brown; tergite VIII posterior margin without comb; tergite IX setae S1 arising anterior to line joining bases of S2 setae; sternites III–VII each with slender transverse glandular area, sternal marginal and discal setae difficult to distinguish from each other.

FIGURES 84–95. Thrips species. T. setipennis 84–87: (84) Tergites VII–VIII; (85) Sternites VI–VII; (86) Tergite II; (87) Meso­metanota. T. simplex (88) Meso­metanota. T. subnudula 89–92: (89) Head & pronotum; (90) Meso­metanota; (91) Sternites V–VII; (92) Tergites VI–VIII. T. sumatrensis (93) Head. T. tabaci 94–95: (94) pleurotergites V–VI; (95) Meso­metanota.

Breeding: This common eastern Australian thrips has been recorded as the specific pollinator of a rainforest tree, Wilkiea huegeliana (Monimiaceae) , in coastal New South Wales ( Williams et al., 2001). It has been found breeding in the flowers of several native Australian plants from unrelated genera, including Hibbertia (Dilleniaceae) , Lomandra (Xanthorrhoeaceae) , Macadamia (Proteaceae) , Prostanthera (Labiatae) , Ripogonum (Smilacaceae) , and Synoum (Meliaceae) , as well as in the flowers of Gardenia (Rubiaceae) .

Distribution: This is an Australian endemic that is widespread in the coastal forests of the south east, from Adelaide to Brisbane, and including Tasmania.

Relationships: The striate sculpture of the metanotum suggest that this species might be related to certain members of the genus from the Pacific Region, such as T. rhabdotus . However, the arrangement of the sternal discal setae, close to or even at the posterior margin, is unique.