Stenchaetothrips bambusicola, Mound, Laurence A., 2011

Mound, Laurence A., 2011, Grass-dependent Thysanoptera of the family Thripidae from Australia, Zootaxa 3064, pp. 1-40 : 32-34

Stenchaetothrips bambusicola sp.n.

( Figs 80, 84–85 )

Female macroptera. Body brown, legs yellow with femora shaded with brown, major setae dark brown; antennal segment I brown, II yellowish in apical half, III almost entirely yellow, IV–V shaded at apex, VI brown in apical half, VII brown; eyes with no pigmented facets; fore wing light brown but slightly paler sub-basally just distal to clavus. Head as long as wide, cheeks rounded ( Fig. 80 ); ocellar setae III weak, arising just outside anterior sides of triangle; postocular setae I and III sub-equal, II and IV minute. Antennal segment III slender, sensoria on III–IV not elongate. Pronotum with faint transverse lines of sculpture, 2 pairs of long posteroangular setae, 3 pairs of posteromarginal setae. Mesonotal campaniform sensilla present, median setal pair arising well in front of posterior margin. Metanotum closely striate, median setal pair not at anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present ( Fig. 80 ). Fore wing first vein with 3 distal setae; second vein with about 10 setae. Prosternal ferna complete medially; meso and meta furca without spinula. Tergites I–IV with a few small craspedal teeth near posterolateral angles, these are progressively more extensive toward mid-line on V–VII ( Fig. 85 ); VIII with complete marginal comb; paired ctenidia present on VI–VIII; IX with 2 pairs of campaniform sensilla, median dorsal setae stout but not reaching posterior margin. Sternites and pleurotergites with no discal setae; sternite II with 2 pairs of posteromarginal setae, III–VII with 3 pairs, median pair on VII arising in front of margin; sternites V–VI with transverse pore plate medially ( Fig. 84 ).

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1450. Head length 135; width across eyes 135. Pronotum, length 130; maximum width 160; pa inner setae 45; pa outer setae 55. Fore wing length 630. Metanotal median setae 30. Tergite IX setae S1 75; S2 100. Tergite X setae S1 90. Antennal segments III–VII length 50, 45, 35, 45, 15.

Male macroptera. Similar to female, but thorax almost yellow; tergal craspedal teeth similar to female, but no comb on VIII; tergite IX with 4 median setae almost in straight line; sternites III–VII with transverse pore plate, posterior margins with no teeth.

Material studied. Holotype female, Northern Territory, Jabiru, Kakadu, from Bambusa arnhemica lvs, 23.xii.1996 (LAM3084).

Paratypes: 2 females, 7 males collected with the holotype.

Comments. The structure of this new species is closely similar to that described for S. divisae Bhatti (1982) , based on a single female from Sibpore, West Bengal. However, the presence of sternal pore plates in the female of this new species is unusual, and the illustration of S. divisae indicates that the craspedal teeth on tergite VI are more distinct from each other than in bambusicola . Possibly also related is S. bambusae (Shumsher) although that was described as having a much paler body. The type material of neither divisae nor bambusae is available, but Bhatti (1982) interpreted S. bambusae based on several specimens from bamboo in India and illustrated the head as having postocular setal pair III longer than pair I. Specimens labelled as bambusae by Ananthakrishnan in the Natural History Museum, London, collected from bamboo in Orissa, have only two or three tergal marginal teeth these being close to the lateral margin of the tergite and translucent. The Stenchaetothrips species associated with bamboo across Southeast Asia into northern Australia thus need further study. In the Philippines, a further species is described from bamboo, S. spinalis , but that has a slender spinula on the mesofurca, postocular setae IV are longer than antennal segment II, the tergites lack marginal teeth laterally, and the sternites of females have no pore plates.

Figures

FIGURES 76 – 85. Grass living Thripinae. Monothrips cuspis 76 – 77: (76) sternites V – VII; (77) tergites VI – VIII. Monothrips flavus 78 – 79: (78) sternites V – VII; (79) tergites VI – VIII. (80) Stenchaetothrips bambusicola, head & thorax. Stenchaetothrips biformis 81 – 83: (81) antenna; (82) tergites VI – VIII; (83) head. Sten. bambusicola 84 - 85: (84) female sternites V-VII; (85) tergites VI – VIII.