Sophiothrips placodes, Mound & Tree, 2014

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2014, The minute, fungus-feeding species of Sophiothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) from Australia and New Zealand, Zootaxa 3860 (2), pp. 184-194 : 190-191

Sophiothrips placodes sp. n.

( Figs 6 , 12 , 18 , 26 )

Male aptera: Bicoloured; head and abdominal segments II and VII yellow, thorax, pelta and tergite VIII brown, III–VI light brown, tube golden with apical band dark grey; antennal segments I–II yellow, III–VIII increasingly brown; tarsi yellow also fore femora and tibiae, but mid and hind femora and tibiae brown with apices yellow.

Head wider than long, without sculpture except near posterior margin; ocellar and lateral postocular setae bluntly capitate, two pairs of minor postocular setae ( Fig. 6 ); stylets not retracted into head capsule; major male with small tubercle on ventral surface of head medially between posterior margins of eyes. Antennal segment II with pair of blunt setae at dorsal apex; III with one sensorium and large flattened band with sharp edged ring near base ( Fig. 12 ), IV–VI each with 2 sensoria, VI about as long as VII+VIII. Pronotum with weak sculpture at anterior and posterior, 5 pairs of major setae bluntly capitate, am setae arising submarginally ( Fig. 6 ). Meso and metanotum strongly transverse, metanotum reticulate with one pair of major setae. Fore femora of major male swollen, tarsal tooth large. Prosternal basantra small in major male but absent in minor male, mesopresternum not developed; mesoeusternum anterior margin entire. Pelta extends almost fully across tergite II; tergites weakly reticulate; IX with major setae all bluntly pointed, posterior margin with prominent pointed tubercle ( Fig. 26 ). Sternites without specialized reticulation, median pair of marginal setae at least 3 times as long as discal setae.

Measurements (holotype male in microns). Body length 1150. Head, length 85; width 130; ocellar setae 20; lateral postocular setae 25. Pronotum, length 170; width 220; major setae am 20, aa 30, ml 35, epim 30, pa 25. Metanotal major setae 20. Tergite VI posteroangular setae 30; tergite IX setae S1 50, S2 25, S3 50. Tube length 100. Sternite II marginal setae S1 50; sternite VIII marginal setae S1 55. Antennal segments III–VIII length 40, 30, 35, 45, 25, 20.

Female aptera: Similar in colour and structure to minor male but abdominal segment VI as yellow as VII, fore tarsal tooth minute; tergite IX setae S2 as long as S1 and S3.

Female macroptera: Similar to female aptera except head almost brown; major setae on head and pronotum shorter; mesopresternum represented by slender transverse sclerite; Metanotum reticulate, with 6 small setae on anterior third and one pair of major setae near posterior margin ( Fig. 18 ); fore wing light brown on distal half, parallel sided, no duplicated cilia; tergites III–VII each with one pair of sigmoid wing-retaining setae.

Specimens studied: Holotype male aptera, Victoria, Nelson, from bark spraying of live tree, 5.x.2013 ( DJT 1687 ).

Paratypes: 8 female, 1 male apterae taken with holotype. Queensland, near Brisbane (?Sunnybank or Ormiston), female macroptera in water trap, 1966 .

Comments. This species is similar to S. decorus , from the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan, in being sharply bicoloured, in having a large flattened band on the pedicel of the third antennal segment, and in having major males with a tubercle both ventrally on the head and dorsally on tergite IX ( Fig. 26 ). However, abdominal segment II is yellow and VIII is brown, whereas in decorus abdominal segments I–IV are dark brown, and VII–IX yellow. Moreover, the flattened band on the third antennal segment is much larger than in decorus .

Figures

FIGURES 1–7. Sophiothrips from Australia. Heads and pronota: (1) canberrae sp.n.; (2) darwini sp.n.; (3) greensladei; (4) martinae sp.n.; (5) mongae sp.n.; (6) placodes sp.n.; (7) postlei sp.n.

FIGURES 8–13. Sophiothrips from Australia, antennae. (8) canberrae sp.n.; (9) darwini sp.n. (10) greensladei; (11) martinae sp.n.; (12) placodes sp.n.; (13) postlei sp.n.

FIGURES 14–22. Sophiothrips from Australia. (14) canberrae sp.n., tergites I–III. Metanotum and pelta, 15–18: (15) darwini sp.n.; (16) martinae sp.n.; (17) mongae sp.n.; (18) placodes sp.n. Pro and mesosternites 19–20: (19) darwini sp.n.; (20) canberrae sp.n. (21) martinae sp.n. male sternite VI; (22) mongae sp.n. tergites V–VI.

FIGURES 23–29. Sophiothrips from Australia, tergite IX and tube. (23) darwini sp.n.; (24) greensladei; (25) mongae sp.n.; (26) placodes sp.n.; (27) postlei sp.n.; (28) martinae sp.n. female; (29) martinae sp.n. male.