Akthethrips strobus Mound, 1970

Mound, Laurence A., Tree, Desley J. & Wells, Alice, 2022, Convoluted maxillary stylets among Australian Thysanoptera Phlaeothripinae associated mainly with Casuarinaceae trees, Zootaxa 5190 (3), pp. 301-332 : 316

Akthethrips strobus Mound

( Figs 40, 41, 42 )

Akthethrips strobus Mound, 1970: 452 .

Based on two females and one male taken at Moree, this species is known otherwise only from both sexes take more recently in South Australia. The maxillary stylets are parallel to each other and close together, but cross over each other at the base of the head and each produces two large loops. Tergite VIII of females has a group of short stout discal setae. The male listed below collected at Iron Baron together with three females differs from the male collected at a site nearby and also from the original paratype in the following character states: mesopresternum and anterior margin of the mesoeusternum heavily eroded; fore legs stouter with larger fore tarsal tooth; antennae shorter; fore wings shorter than in macropterae. This specimen is either a different species or possibly an unusual major form of strobus .

Specimens studied. New South Wales, Moree 50km north, holotype female from Casuarina glauca , 16.vii.1968 , in ANIC. South Australia, Whyalla, Iron Baron , 3 females and 1 male from Casuarina pauper , 12.vi.1997 ; Whyalla, Middleback Station , 1 male from Casuarina pauper , 14.iii.1997 .

Figures

FIGURES 40–50. Akthethrips, Enigmathrips, Phallothrips, Thaumatothrips. A. strobus 40-42: (40) head; (41) pronotum; (42) metanotum & pelta. E. carnarvoni 43–46: (43) antenna; (44) head; (45) prosternites; (46) pronotum. (47) T. froggatti head & fore legs. P. houstoni 48–50: (48) microptera; (49) macroptera; (50) macroptera tergites V–VII.