Strepterothrips okajimai, 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 : 335-336

Strepterothrips okajimai sp.n.

(23, 30, 33, 44)

Female aptera: body, legs and antennae dark brown, except antennal segment III and bases of all tibiae bright yellow, metanotum brownish yellow, head slightly paler between eyes; postocular setae, major setae on pronotum and laterally on abdomen all pale, tergites II–VI with one pair of expanded shaded posteromarginal setae, posteroangular setae pale.

Head longer than wide ( Fig. 30 ), dorsal surface reticulate, finely tuberculate medially between longitudinal rows of small setae, one pair of mid-dorsal setae about 0.8 as long as postocular setae; eyes with about 12 facets dorsally but none ventrally; capitate postocular setae well-developed, about as long as width of antennal segment II. Antennae 7-segmented ( Fig. 23 ), III with one sense cone, IV with 3. Pronotum reticulate on anterior third, tuberculate on posterior third ( Fig. 30 ); with 5 pairs of capitate setae, epim arising from small tubercle; notopleural sutures incomplete. Mesonotum with tuberculate sculpture, one pair of small capitate lateral setae ( Fig. 33 ), closely fused to metanotum. Metanotum coarsely tuberculate with about 26 small setae. Prosternal basantra not developed; ferna transverse, slender but not meeting medially; mesopresternum reduced to two lateral triangles, mesoeusternum divided medially. Pelta transversely oval, without discal setae ( Fig. 33 ); tergites with tuberculate sculpture, particularly on posterior half of each tergite; II–VI with pair of large posteromarginal setae each with strongly asymmetric expanded apex; VI–VIII with median transverse row of discal setae; setae S1 on IX capitate, S2 long and finely acute.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1520. Head, length 250; width 160; po setae 30; mid-dorsal setae 23. Pronotum, length 110; width 245; major setae, am 20, aa 25, ml 20, epim 40, pa 25. Tergite IX setae S1 55; S2 75. Tube length 165; basal width 50; anal setae 85. Antennal segments III–VII length, 35, 45, 37, 37, 62.

Material studied. Holotype female aptera. Australia, Queensland, Cairns, Lake Barrine, from dead branches, 10.x.2012 (LAM 5657).

Non-paratypes, all apterae. Queensland, Brisbane: Brookfield Smiths Scrub, 2 females from barkspray, 22.i.2011 (DJT1381); Cameron’s Scrub, 1 female 1 male from barkspray rainforest, 30.iv.2012. Cooloola, 1 female from barkspray open forest, 16.vii.2013 (G. Monteith).

Comments. Amongst the species of this genus okajimai shares the antennal sense cone formula (1 on III; 3 on IV) only with orientalis and uenoi. It is closely related to the latter species that was described from Thailand, West Malaysia and Singapore. In contrast to uenoi the mid-dorsal setae on the head are shorter, the mesonotum bears only one seta laterally, the entire metanotum is pale (not just the posterior half), and tergite IX setae S1 are no longer than the basal width of the tube. The specimens listed as non-paratypes are from southeastern Queensland. These differ from the holotype in having the tube slightly longer, the tergal major setae with apices less asymmetric, the head not finely tuberculate medially but with a pair of indistinct longitudinal pale areas. However, there is variation amongst these specimens, and the female from Cooloola is particularly unusual in having four setae in a transverse row across the pelta.

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.