Teuchothrips lutruwita, Mound & Dang & Tree, 2023

Mound, Laurence A., Dang, Lihong & Tree, Desley J., 2023, Structural diversity among the leaf-feeding thrips of Australia in the genus Teuchothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) with 20 new species, Zootaxa 5383 (4), pp. 441-475 : 464-465

Teuchothrips lutruwita sp.n.

( Figs 71–75 )

Female macroptera. Body, legs and tarsi brown, fore tarsi paler; antennal segments I–II and VII–VIII brown, III–VI yellow at base but progressively darker to include apical two-thirds brown; major setae pale; fore wings uniformly pale, including base. Head longer than wide, vertex transversely reticulate, postocular setae capitate and extending well beyond posterior margin of eyes; maxillary stylets retracted almost to eyes, close together medially ( Fig. 72 ). Antennal segment III about twice as long as wide; segment IV with 3 stout sense cones; VIII short and confluent with VII ( Fig. 71 ). Pronotum with 4 pairs of capitate major setae, am setae small and acute. Fore femora not enlarged, tarsal tooth about one-third as long as tarsal width. Fore wing broad, with about 10 duplicated cilia, sub basal setae S1 and S2 expanded at apex, S3 the longest, but slender and acute. Mesonotum transversely reticulate, lateral setal pair small but weakly capitate. Metanotum weakly reticulate medially, major setal pair slender ( Fig. 73 ). Mesopresternum with median lobe distinct from 2 lateral triangles and extending to spinasternum ( Fig. 74 ); metathoracic sternopleural sutures long. Pelta broadly triangular with base weakly flared; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 capitate, two-thirds as long as tube; tube margins mainly straight ( Fig. 75 ).

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2410. Head, length 250; maximum width 200. Pronotum, length 150; width 270; epimeral setae 50. Fore wing, length 830; sub-basal setae S1 30, S2 35, S3 45. Tergite VIII posterolateral setae 75; tergite IX setae S1 125, S2 135; tube, length 210, basal width 75; anal setae, length 210. Antennal segments I–VIII length (width): 45 (35), 50 (35), 75 (35), 70 (40), 65 (30), 60 (30), 50 (25), 25 (15).

Male macroptera. Similar to female in colour; large male with pronotum and fore legs enlarged, tarsal tooth about two-thirds of tarsal width; sternite VIII with slender narrow pore plate close to posterior margin of sternite; tergite IX setae S2 capitate, more than half as long as setae S1. The mesopresternum is sexually dimorphic, with the lateral lobes elongate and pointed and the anterior margin of the mesoeusternum sharply angulate.

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 2370. Head, length 240; width 195. Pronotum, length 205; width 320. Tergite IX setae S1 150, S2 90; tube, length 200, basal width 75; anal setae, length 205.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, Australia, Tasmania, Mt Anne , from Leptospermum nitida , 2.v.1982 ( LAM 1695 ), in ANIC.

Paratypes: 1 female, 1 male, taken with holotype; same locality and date, 1 male from Leptospermum scoparium . New South Wales, Fitzroy Falls, 1 male from Leptospermum fruits, 14.iv.2001 (in ANIC); Brooklyn, 1 male from Eremococcus sp on Leptospermum , 23.ii.2013 (Lyn Cook) (in QDPC). Australian Capital Territory, Brindabella, Piccadilly Circus, 1 female, 4 males on Leptospermum sp. , 26.viii.2023.

Comments. This species has been taken together with leptospermum sp.n. at two widely separate localities. However, it differs from that species not only in the number of sense cones on antennal segment IV, but the mesopresternum has a separate median lobe ( Fig. 74 ), the metanotum is reticulate, antennal segment III is considerably longer, the male has a slender pore plate on sternite VIII and tergite IX setae S2 are longer.

Figures

FIGURES 63–75. Teuchothrips of Australia. T. larrakia 63–64: (63) head & pronotum; (64) fore tarsus, male. T. leptospermum 65–67: (65) head & pronotum; (66) metanotum & pelta; (67) antenna. T. longiseta 68–70: (68) head & pronotum; (69) type slide; (70) metanotum & pelta. T. lutruwita 71–75: (71) antenna; (72) head; (73) metanotum & pelta; (74) prosternites; (75) tergites IX–X.