Strepterothrips parvulus, Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2015

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2015, Fungus-feeding Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae of the Idiothrips genus-group in Australia, with nine new species, Zootaxa 4034 (2), pp. 325-341 : 339

Strepterothrips parvulus sp.n.

(19, 25, 31)

Female aptera: Body, legs and antennae brown, but antennal segments I–II, tarsi and apex of tibiae almost yellow; major setae all pale.

Head longer than wide ( Fig. 31 ); cheeks almost parallel, dorsal surface reticulate except in midline, mid-dorsal setae not elongate; postocular setae scarcely longer than broadly capitate apex; eyes with about 5 facets dorsally but one or none ventrally. Antennae 7-segmented ( Fig. 25 ), III flattened, almost disc-shaped with no sense cone, IV with 2 sense cones; segments IV–VI with no sculpture lines. Pronotum reticulate ( Fig. 31 ); with 5 pairs of short, broadly capitate setae, notopleural sutures incomplete. Mesonotum reticulate, with one pair of capitate lateral setae. Metanotum reticulate with about 25 bluntly pointed discal setae. Prosternal basantra not developed; ferna transverse, not meeting medially; mesopresternum not developed, mesoeusternum anterior margin strongly eroded ( Fig. 19 ). Pelta sub-quadrate to D-shaped, with irregular weakly reticulate sculpture and 4–5 bluntly pointed setae; tergites with narrow transverse reticulation, with transverse row of bluntly pointed discal setae; II–VI with pair of short, broadly capitate posteromarginal setae; setae S1 on IX capitate, longer than basal width of tube; S2 finely acute.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1370. Head, length 210; width 160; po setae 20. Pronotum, length 110; width 210; major setae, am 23, aa 20, ml 20, epim 25, pa 25. Tergite IX setae S1 68; S2 70. Tube length 110; basal width 60; anal setae 55. Antennal segments III–VII length, 18, 32, 32, 43, 63.

Male aptera: Similar to female in colour and structure; pelta with only 2 setae; tergite IX S2 setae more than 0.5 as long as S1 setae.

Material studied. Holotype female aptera. Australia, Queensland, Brisbane, Mt Coot-tha, from barkspray on Ironbark Eucalyptus , 29.vi.2008 (DJT660), in ANIC.

Paratypes, all apterae: 1 male taken with holotype; Queensland, Brisbane Forest Park, Centre Road, 2 females from barkspray on Eucalyptus siderophloia , 22.i.2009 (DJT888) and 27.ii.2009 (DJT915); Redcliffe Tableland [100km west of Mackay], 1 female from barkspray on Acacia harpophylla , 18.iv.2012.

Non-paratypes, all apterae: Queensland, Carnarvon Station, 1 female 1 male from barkspray of tree trunk, 14.x.2014; New South Wales, Mt Kaputar NP, Dawson Springs, 1 female from barkspray on Eucalyptus , 21.i.2015.

Comments. This is one of two Strepterothrips from Australia in which the antennal segments bear no lines of sculpture, the other being arake . It is particularly remarkable for the very short, almost disc-shaped third antennal segment, and the reticulation over much of the head and body that is less robust than usually seen in this genus. The specimens listed as non-paratypes are essentially similar to the types, but have antennal segment III slightly longer, approaching the condition found in the non-paratypes of arake .

Figures

FIGURES 27 – 35. Strepterothrips species from Australia. Head 27 – 29: (27) moffati, (28) tuberculatus; (29) verruculus. Head and pronotum 30 – 32: (30) okajimai; (31) parvulus;; (32) arake. Metanotum, pelta and tergites 33 – 34: (33) okajimai; (34) akake. (35) Male verruculus.

FIGURES 16 – 26. Strepterothrips species from Australia. Mesoeusternal anterior margin 16 – 19: (16) verruculus; (17); arake; (18) orientalis; (19) parvulus. Antennae 20 – 26: (20) arake; (21) barbatus; (22) moffati; (23) okajimai; (24) orientalis; (25) parvulus; (26) tuberculatus.