Teuchothrips monga, 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 : 468-470

Teuchothrips monga sp.n.

( Figs 91–92 )

Female macroptera. Body and legs brown, all tarsi yellow, fore tibial apex yellow; antennal segments I–II and VII– VIII brown, III largely yellow or shaded in apical third, IV–VI yellow with apical third to two-thirds brown; major setae pale to very weakly shaded; fore wings uniformly light brown. Head longer than wide, vertex moderately reticulate, postocular setae capitate and extending well beyond posterior margin of eyes; maxillary stylets retracted to eyes, close together medially. Antennal segment III slightly more than twice as long as wide; segment IV with 3 stout sense cones; VIII shorter than but distinct from VII. Pronotum with 4 pairs of major, capitate, setae, am setae small and acute ( Fig. 92 ). Fore femora stout, tarsal tooth about one-third as long as tarsal width. Fore wing broad, with 10–12 duplicated cilia. Mesonotum transversely reticulate, lateral setal pair small and weakly capitate. Metanotum reticulate medially, major setal pair slender ( Fig. 91 ). Mesopresternum divided into 2 triangles, metathoracic sternopleural sutures long. Pelta elongate and irregularly triangular, base flared; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 weakly capitate, two-thirds as long as tube; tube margins straight.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2640. Head, length 240; maximum width 220. Pronotum, length 190; width 335; epimeral setae 90. Fore wing, length 970; sub-basal setae S1 45, S2 50, S3 50. Tergite VIII posterolateral setae 80; tergite IX setae S1 135, S2 130; tube, length 225, basal width 90; anal setae, length 170. Antennal segments I–VIII length (width): 40 (35), 55 (35), 70 (30), 65 (35), 65 (30), 60 (30), 55 (30), 30 (15).

Male macroptera. Similar to female in colour; fore legs more massive, tarsal tooth about half length of tarsal width.; sternite VIII with extensive pore plate, apparently occupying most of sternite; tergite IX setae S2 short and stout.

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 2220. Head, length 200; width 190. Pronotum, length 190; width 325. Tergite IX setae S1 140, S2 60; tube, length 210, basal width 75; anal setae, length 175.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, Australia, New South Wales, Braidwood 30km east, Monga Forest , from Prostanthera lasianthes leaves, 2.iv.1995 ( LAM2636 ), in ANIC .

Paratypes: 17 females, 13 males with larvae, taken with holotype; same host and locality, 1 female, 2 males, 16.v.1989. Australian Capital Territory, Canberra , 2 females, 1 male overwintering under bark, 1982.

Comments. One of the ater -complex, with three sense cones on antennal segment IV and stylets close together in the head, but with the pronotal am setae pointed, the fore wing sub-basal setae arranged in a straight line, and the male sternite VIII pore plate large. It is presumably host-specific, but frequent searches on Prostanthera have failed to find another colony.

Figures

FIGURES 88–95. Teuchothrips of Australia. T. miriwoong 88–90: (88) head & pronotum; (89) antenna; (90) metanotum & pelta. T. monga 91–92: (91) metanotum & pelta; (92) pronotum. T. mooni 93–95: (93) head & pronotum; (94) metanotum & pelta; (95) tergites IX–X.