Holopothrips tillandsiae Mound & Marullo

Lindner, Mariana F., Ferrari, Augusto, Mound, Laurence A. & Cavalleri, Adriano, 2018, Holopothrips diversity-a Neotropical genus of gall-inducing insects (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae), Zootaxa 4494 (1), pp. 1-99 : 89

Holopothrips tillandsiae Mound & Marullo

( Figs 270–271 )

Holopothrips tillandsiae Mound & Marullo, 1996: 303 .

Diagnostic features. Body (except antenna) uniformly brown; maxillary stylets parallel; two pairs of long setae on epimeral region; metanotal sculpture formed by weakly defined reticles, without internal markings; males without pore plates; female spermatheca not enlarged medially, but elongate and extending to abdominal segment VI.

Comments. This brown species is a remarkable member of the genus. The head is as wide as long ( Fig. 271 ) and some specimens exhibit a second pair of postocular setae about 0.5 times as long as the major pair. Pronotal setae are well-developed and capitate, including am and aa. Moreover, males of H. tillandsiae lack sternal pore plates and the female spermatheca is curiously long, extending forward into the sixth abdominal segment. It is known only from specimens collected on Tillandsia compressa (Bromeliaceae) in Costa Rica.

Material studied. 1 male and 1 female paratypes; Costa Rica, San José, in Tillandsia compressa , 16.iii.1937 ( Neverman ), at BMNH .

Figures

FIGURES 270–275. Holopothrips tillandsiae and H. tupi. 270–271. Holopothrips tillandsiae paratype: (270) body; (271) head and pronotum; 272–275. Holopothrips tupi paratype: (272) body; (273) head and pronotum; (274) spermatheca; (275) mesonotum, metanotum and pelta.