Thrips phormiicola Mound

Mound, Laurence A. & Masumoto, Masami, 2005, The genus Thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, Zootaxa 1020 (1), pp. 1-64 : 43-45

Thrips phormiicola Mound

Thrips phormiicola Mound, 1978: 620

Diagnosis: Usually micropterous. Body brown, head and thorax sometimes paler than abdomen, tarsi yellow, tibiae paler than femora; forewing shaded with base pale; antennal segment III and base of IV yellow; major setae dark. Antennae 7­segmented; ocellar setae III arising outside ocellar triangle ( Fig. 77 ), postocular setal row often irregular. Pronotum almost without sculpture, 4–8 discal setae, only 2 pairs of posteromarginal setae. Metanotum ( Fig. 78 ) irregularly striate medially with faint shadow lines, median setae arise near anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present. Forewing (when present) with first vein bearing complete row of widely spaced setae. Abdominal tergite II with 3 lateral setae; tergite VIII with marginal comb complete but irregular, particularly short in micropterae; pleurotergites with 1–3 discal setae; sternite II with 3 pairs of marginal setae and 1 or 2 discal setae ( Fig. 79 ), sternites III–VII with 5 to 7 discal setae. Male brown, micropterous, sternites III–VII with transverse glandular area, II with a very small circular area.

Breeding: Substantial colonies of this thrips, usually comprising only micropterae, can be found within the funnels at the base of the leaves of Phormium species.

Distribution: This species is endemic to New Zealand, where it is widespread at various altitudes on both North and South Islands ( Mound & Walker, 1982: 71).

Relationships: Despite the prolongation of the head in front of the eyes, this species is considered one of the eight members of the Thrips obscuratus group ( Mound, 2005), because of the presence of three pairs of marginal setae on the second abdominal sternite. The metanotal sculpture lines have faint shadow lines as in T. obscuratus and T. martini .

Figures

FIGURES 72–83. Thrips species. T. palmi 72–74: (72) Head & pronotum; (73) Meso­metanota; (74) Tergites VI–VIII. T. parvispinus 75–76: (75) Meso­metanota; (76) Sternites V–VII. T. phormiicola 77–79: (77) Head & pronotum; (78) Meso­metanota; (79) sternites II–III. T. seticollis 80–83: (80) Meso­metanota; (81) Pronotum; (82) Tergites VI–VIII; (83) fore tarsus.