Holothrips circulus, Mound & Tree, 2014

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2014, Fungus-feeding phlaeothripine Thysanoptera in the genus Holothrips from Australia and New Caledonia, with a structurally similar new genus, Holoengythrips, Zootaxa 3860 (2), pp. 125-148 : 128

Holothrips circulus sp.n.

( Figs 5 , 14 , 21 )

Female aptera. Body yellowish brown, anterior third of head brown with remainder yellow, pronotum brownish yellow, tube yellow on distal third before grey band at apex; femora brown, mid and hind tibiae and tarsi clear yellow; antennal segments I–II yellow, III brownish yellow, IV–VIII brown; major setae shaded.

Head without sculpture except on posterior third; eyes small but distinctly prolonged ventrally, ocelli close together ( Fig. 5 ); postocular setae long and capitate; maxillary stylets with moderately wide loop within prothorax. Suture between antennal segments VII–VIII present on ventral surface only. Pronotum transverse, almost without sculpture, with 5 pairs of capitate major setae, notopleural sutures complete; fore tarsal tooth less than half as long as tarsal width. Prosternal ferna not meeting medially; mesopresternum transverse but slender medially, mesoeusternal anterior margin entire; metathoracic sternopleural suture long and slender. Mesonotal setae small. Metanotum with concentric sculpture medially ( Fig. 21 ), major setae small arising medially, anterior third with two pairs of minor setae. Pelta reticulate, broadly triangular with truncate apex; wing-retaining setae minute and straight, major setae long and capitate; tergite IX setae long and finely acute; tube shorter than head ( Fig. 14 ).

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 3000. Head, length 400; width behind eyes 300; postocular setae 125. Pronotum, length 200; width 400; major setae: am 80, aa 55, ml 55, epim 70, pa 95. Tergite IX setae: S1 240, iS 50, S2 225. Tube length 225. Antennal segments III–VI [VII–VIII] length 110, 100, 85, 75, [95].

Male aptera. Similar to female except, ocelli absent; fore femora swollen, fore tarsal tooth about as long as tarsal width; sternites V–VII with weak areas of reticulate sculpture.

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 2800. Tergite IX setae: S1 200, iS 55, S2 50.

Material studied. Holotype female aptera, Queensland, Springbrook , [30km West of Coolangatta], from bark spray in rainforest, 30.xi.2011 (G. Monteith).

Paratypes: 1 female, 2 male apterae collected with holotype .

Comments. The metanotal sculpture of this species is distinctive, although it is based only on apterae, and winged individuals can be expected to be rather different.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Holothrips from Australia. Heads: (1) australis; (2) bunyai sp.n.; (3) eurytis sp.n.; (4) federicae sp.n.; (5) circulus sp.n.; (6) frerei sp.n. (7) lamingtoni sp.n.; (8) notialis sp.n.; (9) lafoae sp.n.

FIGURES 10–16. Holothrips from Australia. Pterothorax and tergites I–II 10–12: (10) frerei sp.n.; (11) speciosissimus; (12) oceanicus. (13) lafoae sp.n., tergites I–II. Tergite IX and tube 14–16: (14) circulus sp.n.; (15) federicae sp.n.; (16) notialis sp.n.

FIGURES 17–24. Holothrips from Australia. Thoracic sternites 17–18: (17) australis; (18) eurytis sp.n. Pterothorax and tergites I–II 19–22: (19) australis; (20) federicae sp.n.; (21) circulus sp.n.; (22) bunyai sp.n. (23–24) notialis sp.n. pelta variation.