Gynaikothrips additamentus (Karny)

Mound, Laurence A., 2008, Identification and host associations of some Thysanoptera Phlaeothripinae described from Australia pre- 1930, Zootaxa 1714, pp. 41-60 : 56

Gynaikothrips additamentus (Karny) comb.n.

Cryptothrips additamentus Karny, 1924: 31

Teuchothrips additamentus (Karny) ; Mound & Houston, 1987: 17

This species was described from one female and one male, collected at Mt Tambourine Queensland, 1910- 1913 ( Fig. 1). The female is here selected as Lectotype; not only is the male damaged, it is possibly not conspecific. This thrips lives as a kleptoparasite within the leaf roll galls induced by Gynaikothrips australis on Ficus macrophylla . It has been taken in considerable numbers both around Brisbane and in the Domain at Sydney. It is strikingly similar in general appearance to G. a u s t r a l i s, differing most significantly in having two sensoria on the third antennal segment, unlike any other member of Gynaikothrips and related genera in the Liothrips -lineage. The generic placement of the species is therefore particularly difficult to assess. One possibility is that additamentus is distantly related to australis , and the two have converged in structure and sculpture. This possibility would require a new monobasic genus for additamentus , because no other described species is known from Australia or Asia with an equivalent combination of character states. Alternatively these two are closely related, and the extra sensorium on the third antennal segment reflects in some way the kleptoparasitic habit of the species, thus suggesting a Thysanoptera equivalent to “Emery’s Rule” in the Formicidae ( Hölldobler & Wilson, 1990) . In view of the nomenclatural complexities involved among the Asian leaf-feeding Phlaeothripinae and the large number of undescribed leaf-feeding phlaeothripine species in Australia, this second alternative is adopted here.

G. additamentus has the following character states: antennal segment III with 2 sensoria ( Fig. 30); antennal segment VI scarcely paler at base; head with only one pair of postocular setae; pronotum of female with anteromarginal setae well developed; metanotum with a single pair of setae medially ( Fig. 29); female with tube less than 3.5 times as long as basal width; male with tergite IX setae S 2 distinctly capitate and about 0.5 as long as setae S 1.

G. australis has the following character states: antennal segment III with one sensorium ( Fig. 31); antennal segment VI sharply yellow at base; head commonly with two pairs of long postocular setae; pronotum of female with anteromarginal setae often scarcely larger than discal setae; metanotum with a group of four or more pairs of small setae anterolateral to the median pair of setae ( Fig. 32); female with tube more than 4.3 times as long as basal width; male with tergite IX setae S 2 acute and about 0.3 as long as setae S 1.