Psalidothrips platetus, Wang & Mound & Tree, 2019

Wang, Jun, Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2019, Leaf-litter thrips of the genus Psalidothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae) from Australia, with fifteen new species, Zootaxa 4686 (1), pp. 53-73 : 63-64

Psalidothrips platetus sp.n.

( Fig. 34 )

Female macroptera. Bicolored, head brown, darkest around ocelli; pronotum brown, pterothorax darker; abdomen yellowish with segments VIII–IX darker; legs yellow; antennae light brown, III darkest; fore wings weakly shaded. Head almost without sculpture, genae sharply constricted behind large eyes; postocular setae bluntly pointed, longer than half of distance between their bases; postocellar setae small. Antennal segments short, III unusually broad, with one sense cone on external margin and sometimes with one minute sense cone on inner margin; IV–VI each with 2 stout sense cones; VIII broadly joined to VII ( Fig. 34 ). Maxillary stylets two-thirds of head width apart, retracted half way to postocular setae. Pronotum without sculpture, setae am small, remaining setae long. Mesopresternum absent; anterior border of mesoeusternum eroded and concave. Fore tarsal tooth absent. Fore wing with two long sub-basal setae. Pelta with lateral lobes but posterior margin eroded; tergites II–VII each with one pair of wing-retaining setae less than 15 microns long, median setae 30 microns long; VIII with median setal pair longer than the tergite; tergite IX setae S1 acute, longer than tube. Sternites with up to 4 pairs of discal setae.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1986. Head, length 153; width 151; postocular setae 90, distance between their bases 121; postocellar setae 17, distance between their bases 32. Pronotum, length 120; median width 210; major setae am 18, aa 42, ml 78, ml 78, epim 115, pa 95. Fore wing, length 750; distal width 66; sub-basal setae inner 42, outer 62. Tergite III median marginal setae 112; tergite VIII median setae 90, tergite IX setae S1 170; S2 135. Tube length 135; anal setae 145. Antennal segments III–VIII length 33, 42, 45, 45, 42, 40.

Female aptera. Similar to macroptera in chaetotaxy, but body, legs and antennae yellow. Head without ocelli, genae weakly constricted behind eyes; compound eyes reduced to three facets. Meso and metanota without sculpture. Pelta similar to macroptera but even more eroded.

Measurements (paratype female in microns). Body length 1600. head, length 150; width 155; postocular setae 90. Pronotum, length 120; median width 240; major setae am 15, aa 42, ml 80, epim 92, pa 88. Tergite IX setae S1 165. Tube length 120. Antennal segments III–VIII length 30, 40, 42, 42, 36, 36.

Male aptera. Colour light brown including femora, but tibiae and antennae paler. Structure similar to female, antennae even more compact, fore tarsal tooth absent; pore plate on sternite VIII transverse but incomplete medially.

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 1350. head length 130. Tergite IX setae S1 105; B2 95. Antennal segments III–VIII length 24, 33, 33, 35, 33, 33.

Specimens studied. Holotype female macroptera, New South Wales, 5 miles north of Maroota , 4.iv.1968 ( LAM 634 ), in ANIC.

Paratypes: 1 female macroptera, 2 female, 2 male apterae collected with holotype, in ANIC .

Comments.The antennae of this species are remarkable for their foreshortened structure with segment III slightly wider than long.

Figures

FIGURES 19–37. Psalidothrips species. Mesopresternum 19–22 (19) gloriousi; (20) driesseni macroptera; (21) driesseni aptera; (22) howei. Male pore plate 23–30 (23) brittoni; (24) cecryphalus; (25) driesseni; (26) howei; (27) minantennus; (28) postlei; (29) taylori; (30) tritus. Antennae 31–37 (31) brittoni; (32) cecryphalus; (33) minantennus; (34) platetus; (35) trivius; (36) verus; (37) wellsae.