Liothrips chionanthes, Mound & Dang & Tree, 2023

Mound, Laurence A., Dang, Lihong & Tree, Desley J., 2023, The genus Liothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae) in Australia, Zootaxa 5306 (2), pp. 201-214 : 208

Liothrips chionanthes sp.n.

( Figs 18 , 29 )

Macropterous female. Body and legs dark brown, except fore tibiae light brown, tarsi brownish-yellow, mid and hind tarsi slightly paler, also extreme apices of mid and hind tibiae; antennal segment I dark, II paler at apex, III-V almost clear yellow, VI brown in apical half, VII–VIII brown; major setae brown; fore wing shaded with brown area around sub-basal setae. Head about 1.2 longer than wide, slightly narrowed to base; ocellar region subconical, posterior ocelli close to inner margin of eyes; eyes about one-third as long as head; postocular setae acute or slightly blunt at apex, about as long as eye length; maxillary stylets not retracted to postocular setae, medially about 0.3 of head width apart. Antennal segment III almost 2.0 times as long as wide, III with one sense-cone, IV with three; IV–VI evenly narrowed to basal neck; segment VIII not constricted at base. Pronotum with little sculpture, with four pairs of bluntly pointed major setae, anteromarginals very small ( Fig. 29 ). Prosternal basantra absent, ferna wide apart, mesopresternum of two triangles weakly connected medially; metathoracic sternopleural sutures developed. Metanotum narrowly reticulate medially ( Fig. 18 ), median setae slender and minute. Fore wing parallel sided, with about 15 duplicated cilia, three weakly pointed sub-basal setae. Pelta weakly reticulate, broadly triangular, with pair of campaniform sensilla; tergites II–VII with two pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae; tergal lateral setae all acute; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 pointed at apex, shorter than tube. Tube shorter than head, anal setae shorter than tube.

Measurements (holotype female in microns): Body length 3300. Head, length (median width) 290(225); postocular setae 95. Pronotum, length (median width) 200(375); major setae—am 10, aa 45, ml 75, epim 135, pa 100. Mesonotal lateral setae length 50. Metanotal median setae length 10. Fore wing length 1200; sub-basal setae 60, 80, 70. Tergite IX setae S1 250, S2 230. Tube, length 305; basal width 105; apical width 50. Antennal segments III–VIII, length (width) 90(40), 85(45), 60(40), 55(40), 65(30), 30(15).

Male macroptera. Similar to female, but smaller; fore tarsal tooth absent; tergite IX setae S1 shorter than tube, S3 longer than tube, S2 less than half of S 1 in length, with apex pointed; sternite VIII with an irregular long and narrow pore plate.

Measurements (paratype male in microns): Body length 2680. Head, length (median width) 265(205); postocular setae 85. Pronotum, length (median width) 175(315); major setae—am 10, aa 35, ml 60, epim 125, pa 105. Mesonotal lateral setae length 40. Metanotal median setae length 10. Fore wing length 950; sub-basal setae 60, 65, 70. Tergite IX setae S1 205, S2 80, S3 255. Tube, length 240; basal width 95; apical width 45. Antennal segments III–VIII, length (width) 80(35), 80(40), 75(40), 70(35), 50(25), 35(15).

Specimens studied. Holotype female, AUSTRALIA, Queensland, Behana Gorge, 30km south of Cairns , 3.xi.2008 ( LAM 5182 ) in ANIC.

Paratypes: 2 females, 1 male taken with holotype; Queensland, Cairns , 1 male (with larvae) from Chionanthus , 14.ii.1998; Cooktown to Rossville , 2 females, 2 males from? Chionanthus , 11.xi.2010 (in ANIC) .

Comments. As indicated by the key above, this species is one of a group of at least three species that are particularly similar to each other in structure.Antennal segment III is intermediate in length between that of chavicae and umbratus . The metanotal sculpture is distinct from that of chavicae but it is similar to that of umbratus ( Figs 17, 18, 23 ). This new species is very similar to umbratus , of which three specimens have also been collected from Chionanthus leaves.

Figures

FIGURES 17–25. Australian Liothrips. Metanotum: (17) chavicae; (18) chionanthes; (19) burwelli; (20) pallipes; (21) takahashi; (22) timonii (23) umbratus; (24) urichi; (25) vaneeckei.

FIGURES 26–40. Australian Liothrips. Prosternum 26–28: (26) burwelli; (27) pallipes; (28) timoni. (29) Pronotum of chionanthes. Pelta & tergite II 30–35: (30) burwelli; (31) chavicae; (32) takahashi; (33) timonii; (34) umbratus; (35) vaneeckei. Hind tibiae 36–40: (36) timoni; (37) vaneeckei; (38) chavicae; (39) urichi. (40) Holotype of L. brevifemur.