Hydatothrips bhattii, Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, And Desley J., 2009

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, And Desley J., 2009, Identification and host-plant associations of Australian Sericothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), Zootaxa 1983, pp. 1-22 : 7

Hydatothrips bhattii sp.n.

( Figs 15–19 )

Female macroptera. Strongly bicoloured; head brown but postoccipital area yellow; pterothorax brown with metepisterna yellow; abdominal segment I yellow, II–III light brown with thickened dark antecostal ridge, IV–VI mainly yellow, VII–X dark brown; hind tibiae yellow in contrast to brown femora; antennal segments I–III yellow, IV pale near base, V–VIII light brown; forewing with pale sub-basal area, then weakly shaded but apex paler. Head with occipital carina close to eyes; ocellar triangle transversely striate/reticulate; ocellar setae III arise outside ocellar triangle; three pairs of postocular setae, median pair long; postoccipital area transversely striate. Pronotum anterior third with sculpture transverse, blotch transversely striate with markings between main striae. Metanotal reticulation mainly equiangular, only anterior reticles with internal markings, posterior half sharply paler. Tergite I medially with no craspedum, II–VI medially with marginal microtrichia scarcely extending beyond tergal margin. Sternites with no discal microtrichia mesad of marginal setae S2, posterior margins with small lobed craspeda bearing long microtrichia between each pair of marginal setae; sternite VII medially with neither discal nor marginal microtrichia.

Measurements of holotype female in microns: Body length 1380. Head, length 300; width across eyes 185. Pronotum, length 130; width 235. Forewing length 840. Antennal segments III–VIII length 80, 65, 45, 45, 8, 8.

Male. Similar to female, abdominal segment VII yellow; sternites without glandular areas.

Material studied. Holotype female, New South Wales, 10km south of Cobar, from leaves of Parsonsia eucalyptophylla , 9.xii.2001 (LAM4066), in ANIC.

Paratypes, all from P. eucalyptophylla leaves: 8 females, 1 male collected with holotype; Narrabri 32 miles north, 1 male, 16.vii.1968; Collarenabri 8 miles southwest, 9 females 2 males, 3.vi.1968; Queensland, Goondiwindi 30 miles north, 7 females with larvae, 16.vii.1968. The specimens collected in 1968 are in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London.

Comments. The host plant of this thrips is widespread in eastern Australia, in the lower rainfall areas of the western slopes of the Great Divide. In contrast to H. argenticinctus from the wet sclerophyll forests closer to the coast, this species has the forewings not banded, and the sculpture on the pronotum and metanotum is different.

Figures

FIGURES 15 – 26. Hydatothrips bhattii & H. haschemi. (15 – 19) H. bhattii, (15) Head; (16) Meso & metanota; (17) Sternites; (18) Metasternum; (19) Tergites. (20 – 26) H. haschemi, (20) Head & pronotum; (21) Pro, meso & metanota; (22) Tergites; (23) Sternites; (24) Male sternites; (25) Antenna; (26) Forewing apex.