Anaphothrips cucurbiti Pitkin, 1978

Mound, Laurence A. & Masumoto, Masami, 2009, Australian Thripinae of the Anaphothrips genus-group (Thysanoptera), with three new genera and thirty-three new species, Zootaxa 2042 (1), pp. 1-76 : 27-29

Anaphothrips cucurbiti Pitkin

(Figs 56–60)

Anaphothrips cucurbiti Pitkin, 1978: 356

It seems likely that the “curcurbit creeper”, from which the original specimens of this species were collected at Wisemans Ferry, N.S.W. was actually growing over a shrub that the collector failed to notice. Subsequent collecting between northern Victoria and eastern New South Wales has indicated that both sexes and larvae of this thrips occur on the leaves of the common and widespread shrub, Bursaria spinosa (Pittosporaceae) .

FIGURES 53–63. A. cobari 53–55: (53) male sternites II–IV; (54) tergites VI–VII; (55) antenna. A. cucurbiti 56–60: (56) antenna; (57) male sternites; (58) clavus with meso & metanotum; (59) tergites VI–VIII left margins; (60) male tergite IX. A. dalbyi 61–63: (61) head & pronotum; (62) tergites VI–VIII; (63) meso & metanotum.

Female macroptera. Body and legs yellow with light brown markings on pterothorax, and laterally on abdominal segments II–VI; antennal segment I white, II and V–IX dark brown, III–IV light brown; fore wing weakly shaded medially. Head wider than long, slightly produced at anterior over antennal segment I; area behind eyes with transverse reticulation, ocellar triangle with weak reticulation; eyes with 6 weakly pigmented facets; ocellar setae III close together within triangle. Antennae 9-segmented, III–IV sensorium forked; II with some short microtrichia near apex; VI not pedicellate (Fig. 56). Pronotum almost without sculpture. Metascutum weakly and irregularly reticulate (Fig. 58), median setae arise almost medially, MCS present; metascutellum reticulate. Fore wing veinal setae short; first vein with about 6 setae near base, 2 setae distally; second vein with about 8 setae; clavus with 6–7 veinal setae plus one seta at base. Abdominal tergites with weak transverse reticulation medially; VI–VII setae S3 similar in size to S4; VIII with no posteromarginal comb, spiracular area occupying more than half of tergal lateral margin (Fig. 59); tergite X short.

Female aptera. Similar to macroptera; antennal segment II without microtrichia; ocelli absent or weakly developed; ocellar setae III sometimes more widely apart; mesonotum and metascutum transverse.

Male aptera. Similar to female; tergite IX with 2 pairs of short stout setae medially (Fig. 60); sternites III–VII with small median oval pore plate (Fig. 57).

Larva II. Major setae with broadly expanded, fringed apices; tergite IX without either posteromarginal coloured band or teeth, tergite X with dark posteromarginal band.