Holopothrips tabebuia Cabrera & Segarra

(Figs 262–265)

Holopothrips tabebuia Cabrera & Segarra, 2008: 232 .

Diagnostic features. Body mostly yellow, with head and pterothorax light brown, abdominal segments VIII–X dark brown; maxillary stylets parallel; one pair of long setae on epimeral region; metanotal sculpture formed by longitudinally elongate reticles, looking almost striate anteriorly; males with pore plates on sternites VII–VIII, two anteroangular plates and one posterior transverse band; female spermatheca s-shaped and not enlarged.

Comments. This species resembles H. inquilinus in general appearance, but H. tabebuia has the pronotum with only one pair of long epimeral setae instead of two pairs (Fig. 262), and its metanotum is sculptured with longitudinal and narrow reticles (Fig. 263). The transverse pore plate on sternite VIII is prolonged onto the tergite as in H. inversus and H. paulus . Larvae are pale and without red internal pigmentation. Recently introduced into Florida, H. tabebuia is a common species in the Northern Caribbean, where it possibly originated (Cabrera & Segarra 2008). It has been observed inducing leaf-curling galls in a few Tabebuia ( Bignoniaceae) species (Fig. 15), and in some cases, causing the death of young plants (Malumphy & Reid 2017).

Material studied. 1 male non-type; United States, Florida, Dade, Hialeah, 7925 NW 2nd Ct., in Tabebuia sp., 20.ii.2002 (Davis, L.), slide with code “E2002-0692” ; 1 female non-type; United States, Florida, Dade, Miami, 7061 SW 129th Ave., in Tabebuia sp., 4.iii.2002 (Putland, E.), slide with code “E2002-0691”; both at NMNH .