Neohydatothrips samayunkur Kudo

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, And Desley J., 2009, Identification and host-plant associations of Australian Sericothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), Zootaxa 1983, pp. 1-22 : 20-21

Neohydatothrips samayunkur Kudo

( Figs 73–76 )

Hydatothrips (Neohydatothrips) samayunkur Kudo 1995: 169

Neohydatothrips pseudoannulipes ; Mound & Marullo, 1996: 171 nec Johansen, 1983

A paratype of the Mexican N. pseudoannulipes that was borrowed from Dr Roberto Johansen was noted by Mound & Marullo (1996) to have the apex of the forewing pale not shaded as indicated in the original description. Assuming that the paratype was correct and that the description was incorrect, this species was later synonymised (Mound et al., 1996) with N. samayunkur , and the Mexican name thus introduced to the Australian fauna. However, although the label of this paratype indicated the same locality and collector as the holotype, it bore a collection date differing by one month from the published collection dates of the type series. Subsequently this “ paratype ” was recognised as having been misidentified by the original author, and the proposed synonymy is thus invalid ( Nakahara, 1999). N. samayunkur is associated with garden plants of the genus Tagetes (Asteraceae) , on which it can produce considerable damage to leaves and flowers, and it appears to have been distributed widely around the world by the horticultural trade. The species has been recorded from Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, California, Florida, Hawaii, Japan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Kenya. In Australia, considerable populations have been studied from Gosford (NSW) and Brisbane (Qld).

Recognition: Body bicoloured, mainly brown with anterior margin of pronotum yellow, also all tarsi yellow and tibiae extensively yellow; abdominal segments III–VI yellowish brown with dark antecostal ridge; forewing with three dark and three pale bands, apex pale. Head with occipital ridge not close to eyes; ocellar triangle with irregular reticulation; ocellar setae III on anterior margins of triangle; three pairs of postocular setae, median pair long and arising laterally. Pronotal sculpture mainly transverse, blotch deeply emarginate posteriorly. Metanotal sculpture linear on posterior half. Tergites II–VI with no marginal comb medially. Sternites fully covered with microtrichia, posterior margins with groups of long microtrichia between bases of marginal setae. Male with glandular area on sternite VII only.

Figures

FIGURES 67 – 79. Neohydatothrips plynopygus, N. poeta, N. samayunkur & Sericothrips staphylinus. (67 – 69) N. plynopygus, (67) Male sternites; (68) Antenna; (69) Meso & metanota. (70 – 72) N. poeta, (70) Head; (71) Metasternum; (72) Tergites. (73 – 76) N. samayunkur, (73) Female; (74) Head & pronotum; (75) Meso & metanota; (76) Sternites. (77 – 79) S. staphylinus, (77) Meso & metanota; (78) Tergites; (79) Larva II tergal setae.