Stosicthrips szitas, Mound, Laurence A., 2009

Mound, Laurence A., 2009, New taxa and new records of Australian Panchaetothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), Zootaxa 2292, pp. 25-33 : 27-29

Stosicthrips szitas sp.n.

Female macroptera. Body and legs brown, tarsi yellow ( Fig. 1 ); antennae brown with apex of III and all of IV yellow ( Fig. 4 ); forewing pale with light brown veins ( Fig. 5 ); all major setae colourless and translucent. Head with three pairs of postocular setae and one pair of setae posterolaterally on cheeks; ocellar setae II long, ocellar setae III small and on anterior margins of triangle. Antennal segment II dorsally with three large setae; III and IV with pair of large dorsal setae, apex of both segments constricted to short neck, and forked sensorium ventral in both segments; segment V strongly constricted at base, with one long pointed seta extending almost to apex of VII; segments V–VII broadly joined. Mesonotum with complex granulate sculpture medially ( Fig. 2 ). Tergites I–III with small area of prominent reticulation medially, these areas weaker on more posterior tergites; submedian areas of tergites smooth, without sculpture, lateral areas with extensive granulation ( Fig. 3 ).

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1000. Head, length 95; width across eyes 135. Pronotum, length 100; maximum width 160. Forewing length 730; longest costal seta 50. Tergite IX setae S1 50. Tergite X setae S1 35. Antennal segments length, I 15, II 35, III 50, IV 35, V–VII 75.

Male macroptera. Similar to female, abdomen more slender; tergite IX without stout setae; pore plates present on sternites III–VII.

Larva II. Mainly yellow, light grey markings on antennae, anterior margin of head, and tibiae; antennal segments with annuli but no microtrichia; all major body setae capitate but scarcely longer than diameter of basal pores; dorsal surface of thorax and abdomen weakly tuberculate; tergite IX without marginal tubercles.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, Australia, Queensland, Glenmorgan, Myall Park, leaves of Grevillea hakeoides (Proteaceae) , 11 March 2006 (LAM4867).

Paratypes: 8 female 2 male taken with holotype; 4 female 2 male, same locality and date, from Grevillea Robyn Gordon ; Western Australia, Perth Domestic Airport, leaves of Grevillea Robyn Gordon , 13 female 2 male, 17.i.2005 (Hoddle & Stosic 278), same locality and plant, 3 female 3 male, 11.ii.2005, 5 female 2 male, 18.ii.2005 (Andras Szitas ).

Comments. This species was first collected by Christina Stosic and Mark Hoddle during a survey of likely sites where the potentially invasive Californian bean thrips might have become established in Australia ( Hoddle et al. 2006). Near the entrance to Perth Airport, they found a series of adults of the new species on decorative plantings of the Grevillea cultivar, “Robyn Gordon”. Subsequently, Andras Szitas , of the Western Australia Department of Agriculture, visited this site to ascertain if the thrips species was established on the “Robyn Gordon” plants rather than a chance vagrant, because the possibility had to be considered that the insect had entered Australia through air traffic. Such an introduced species would be expected to occur on various plants in the vicinity, not on a single Australian native plant; no specimens were found other than on the Grevillea . Shortly after, this same new thrips species was found breeding in substantial numbers in central Queensland, at the Myall Park Botanic Garden near Glenmorgan, where the cultivar “Robyn Gordon” was originally developed. Adults and larvae were abundant at that site not only on the cultivar, but also on one of the parent species, Grevillea hakeoides . There is thus little doubt that this thrips is an Australian endemic, although it has not yet been found at any other site. The natural distribution of G. hakeoides is in Western Australia, extending in a broad inland band from Shark Bay to the wheat belt east of Perth.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Stosicthrips szitas. (1) female. (2) head and thorax. (3) abdominal tergites I – V. (4) antenna. (5) forewing