Adrothrips westoni, Mound & Tree & Wells, 2022

Mound, Laurence A., Tree, Desley J. & Wells, Alice, 2022, Convoluted maxillary stylets among Australian Thysanoptera Phlaeothripinae associated mainly with Casuarinaceae trees, Zootaxa 5190 (3), pp. 301-332 : 315

Adrothrips westoni sp.n.

( Figs 9 , 19 , 39 )

Female microptera. Body and head mainly yellow, anterior margin of head shaded, pronotum and metanotum with pair of brown patches, extending medially on tergites II–IV; tube shaded at apex; femora and tibiae with brown markings; antennal segments IV–VIII brown. Head slightly longer than wide, postocular setae small and capitate; vertex with weak transverse reticulation. Maxillary stylets retracted into eyes ( Fig. 19 ), crossing over near ocelli then re-crossing at occipital ridge, with one flexure before entering the mouth cone. Antennal segment III short with no sense cone ( Fig. 9 ), IV with 2 sense cones, apex of V asymmetric with one short stout sense cone. Pronotum with weak, complicated reticulation, all five pairs of major setae small to minute, weakly capitate or more frequently finely acute. Mesopresterum either absent or fully fused to transverse anterior margin of mesoeusternum. Metanotum weakly reticulate, reticles without internal markings, bearing 10 small setae. Fore wing very small, subbasal setae minute. Fore tarsus with small tooth arising near base. Pelta broadly D-shaped, reticulate; tergites II–VII each with only posterior pair of wing-retaining setae; tergite IX setae capitate and shorter than basal width of tube; tube slightly broader in basal third and narrowing to apex ( Fig. 39 ).

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1730. Head, length 210; width medially 200; po setae 12. Pronotum, length 135; width 250; prothorax width across coxae 300; major setae – am 5, aa 10, ml 5, epim 12, pa 12. Fore wing length 40. Tergite IX setae S1 30, S2 35. Tube, basal width 75, maximum width 85, length 115. Antennal segments III–VIII length 35, 50, 45, 50, 40, 25.

Male microptera. Similar to female, but tube scarcely wider in basal third; sternites without transverse band of specialised reticulation.

Specimens studied. Holotype female microptera, South Australia, Kangaroo Island, American River Village, from Allocasuarina verticillata , 8.iv.2022, Alice Wells ( LAM6525 ), in ANIC.

Paratypes: one female collected with holotype; Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Mt. Majura , one female from A. verticillata , 24.iv.1995; A.C. T., Canberra , Weston, Oakey Hill , one male from A. verticillata , January 2016.

Comments. Despite frequent collecting efforts, only four specimens of this species have been found, at three different localities but all from A. verticillata . It shares with A. akanthus the reduced number of tergal wing-retaining setae and has similar maxillary stylets. It differs in having antennal segment III short with a narrow pedicel, the mesopresternum absent, the posterior tergites without short stout setae, and the tube of females much less robustly reticulate ( Fig. 39 ).

Figures

FIGURES 2–10. Adrothrips species antennae. (2) aureus; (3) cotteri; (4) intermedius; (5) latrarei; (6) lihongae; (7) madiae; (8) vernoni; (9) westoni; (10) mitchelli.

FIGURES 11–19. Adrothrips heads. (11) acanthus; (12) aureus; (13) cotteri; (14) intermedius; (15) lihongae; (16) latrarei; (17) madiae; (18) systenus; (19) westoni male.

FIGURES 28–39. Adrothrips prosternites and abdomen. (28) cotteri; (29) latrarei; (30) lihongae; (31) vernoni; (32) akanthus; (33) aureus; (34) cotteri; (35) intermedius; (36) mitchelli; (37) systenus; (38) vernoni; (39) westoni.