Aulacothrips

Cavalleri, Adriano, Kaminski, Lucas A. & Mendonça, Milton S., 2012, A new ectoparasitic Aulacothrips (Thysanoptera: Heterothripidae) from Amazon rainforest and the significance of variation in antennal sensoria, Zootaxa 3438, pp. 62-68 : 63

Key to Aulacothrips species (adapted from Cavalleri et al. 2010)

1. Sensoria on antennal segments III–IV curved laterally toward base but without loops on dorsal and ventral surface of these two segments ( Fig. 5 ); two pairs of long midlateral setae aligned to pronotal lateral margin ( Fig. 6 ); male largely yellowish brown, except for median portion of abdominal tergites II–VIII and abdominal segments IX–X, which are darker ( Fig. 3 )............................................................................................... amazonicus sp.n.

-. Sensoria on III–IV longer and forming several loops over the entire surfaces of these two segments ( Figs 12–13 ); only one pair of long midlateral setae aligned to pronotal lateral margin (second pair arising almost medially); male uniformly brown.... 2

2. Antennal segment III conical dorsally, with basal third clearly narrower than apical third; sensorial areas with loops wide apart from each other in dorsal surface ( Fig. 13 ); female abdominal segment IX with 3–9 short, hyaline, flattened setae placed laterally in one or two rows; male abdominal tergite VIII without a group of long setae placed at posterior margin; associated to gregarious membracids ( Hemiptera )................................................................... minor

-. Antennal segment III cylindrical dorsally, with slightly convex sides; sensorial areas extending largely in both surfaces, almost touching each other medially ( Fig. 12 ); female abdominal segment IX without a row of short and flattened setae, in few cases bearing only one or two minute and sparse setae; posterior margin of male abdominal tergite VIII with a group of 8–12 pairs of long and stout setae placed close together; associated to Aetalion reticulatum (Hemiptera) ..................... dictyotus

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Aulacothrips amazonicus sp. n. and its host. (1) Ramedia treehoppers tended by Dolichoderus bispinosus ants on Solanum shrub; (2) Female; (3) Male; (4) Head; (5) Antenna in dorsal view; (6) Pronotum; (7) Mesonotum and Metanotum.

FIGURES 12 – 14. Dorsal view of antennae in Heterothripidae species. (12) Aulacothrips dictyotus; (13) Aulacothrips minor; (14) Lenkothrips sp.