Thrips excaelatus, Mound & Masumoto, 2005

Mound, Laurence A. & Masumoto, Masami, 2005, The genus Thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, Zootaxa 1020 (1), pp. 1-64 : 23-24

Thrips excaelatus sp.n.

Diagnosis: Female with body brown, tarsi and apices of tibiae yellow, antennae brown with base of segment III yellow, major setae light brown, forewings shaded with base and apex paler.

Head about as broad as long ( Fig. 24 ), vertex with three transverse striae, ocellar region without sculpture; ocellar setae III arising on anterolateral margins of ocellar triangle; postocular setae I almost as long as ocellar setae III. Antennae 7­segmented. Pronotum slightly wider than long, surface lacking sculpture, with about 10 discal setae; inner and outer postero­angular setae subequal and more than two thirds as long as pronotum; posterior margin with 3 pairs of setae and S1 twice length of S2 and S3. Fore tarsus ventrally with stout recurved apical hamus. Mesonotum with lines of sculpture close to campaniform sensilla. Metanotum with irregular partly elongate reticulation posteromedially ( Fig. 25 ), median pair of setae close to anterior margin; campaniform sensilla absent. Forewing first vein with 7 setae basally and 6 to 9 setae on distal half; clavus with 5 marginal setae, terminal seta longest. Abdominal tergites with no sculpture posterior to antecostal ridge; tergite II with 3 (or 4) lateral marginal setae, V–VII with chaetotaxy and ctenidia typical of Thrips ; tergite VIII with ctenidia ending anterolateral to setae S3, posteromarginal comb with widely spaced slender microtrichia laterally but medially with very short microtrichia; tergite IX with 2 pairs of campaniform sensilla, median pair of setae much shorter than lateral pairs; tergite X with median split almost complete. Sternites and pleurotergites without discal setae, sternite II with 2 pairs of posteromarginal setae, VII with median pair arising in front of posterior margin.

Measurements of holotype female in microns: Body length 1400. Head, length 125; width 125; ocellar setae III 20. Pronotum, length 120; width 160; postero­angular setae 80. Forewing length 800. Antennal segments III–VII length 50, 50, 40, 55, 20.

Type material: Holotype ♀, Australia, New South Wales, Googong Dam, Queanbeyan , on Leucopogon ericoides , 29.ix.2001 (LAM 4046), in ANIC.

Distribution: Australia, New South Wales.

Relationships: The condition of the ctenidia on tergite VIII ending anterolateral to setae S3 indicate that this species is a member of the T. seticollis group, and the chaetotaxy and sculpture of the metanotum suggest that it is related to T. pallisetis , despite the setal row on the first vein of the forewing being widely interrupted. The species is unusual because of the long setae on the pronotum, the presence ventrally of a stout hamus on the fore tarsus, and the lack of sculpture on the tergites.

Figures

FIGURES 15–25. Thrips species. T. coprosmae 15–17: (15) Head & pronotum; (16) Meso­metanota; (17) Tergites & pleurotergites III–IV. T. darwini 18–20: (18) Head & pronotum; (19) Meso­metanota; (20) Tergites VII–VIII. T. diana 21–23: (21) Head & pronotum; (22) Meso­metanota; (23) Pleurotergites III–IV. T. excaeletus 24–25: (24) Head & pronotum; (25) Meso­metanota.