Teuchothrips dodonaea, Mound & Dang & Tree, 2023

Mound, Laurence A., Dang, Lihong & Tree, Desley J., 2023, Structural diversity among the leaf-feeding thrips of Australia in the genus Teuchothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) with 20 new species, Zootaxa 5383 (4), pp. 441-475 : 454-455

Teuchothrips dodonaea sp.n.

( Figs 32–34 )

Female macroptera. Body and legs brown, mid and hind tarsi light brown, fore tarsi yellow; antennal segment I–II and VII–VIII brown, III–IV mainly yellow, V–VI increasingly light brown; major setae on head and pronotum shaded to deeply shaded, on tergites VII–IX pale; fore wings light brown on basal half but paler distally. Head slightly wider than long; vertex with reticulate sculpture; postocular setae capitate, extending beyond posterior margin of eyes; eyes longer dorsally than ventrally; maxillary stylets about one-third of head width apart, not retracted to level of postocular setae; mouth cone rounded ( Fig. 32 ). Antennal segment III less than twice as long as apical width; IV with 2 small major sense cones, VIII small and closely joined to VII ( Fig. 33 ). Pronotum transverse with 4 pairs of capitate major setae, setae am scarcely larger than discal setae and often posterior to margin; surface with extensive, rather weak, reticulate sculpture. Fore tarsal tooth pointed, at least half as long as width of tarsus, fore femora not enlarged. Fore wing with no duplicated cilia; sub-basal setae capitate, arising in straight line. Mesonotum reticulate, lateral setal pair small. Metanotum evenly reticulate, major setal pair slender ( Fig. 34 ). Mesopresternum divided into 2 small triangles, sometimes extending medially, metathoracic sternopleural sutures long. Pelta irregularly triangular with base strongly flared; tergites VI–VIII lateral setae long and capitate, also tergite IX setae S1 and S2; tube lateral margins straight narrowed distally.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2500. Head, length 200; maximum width 215. Pronotum, length 190; width 310; epimeral setae 80. Fore wing, length 900; sub-basal setae S1 40, S2 45, S3 50. Tergite VIII posterolateral setae 50; tergite IX setae S1 140, S2 120; tube, length 200, basal width 100; anal setae, length 160. Antennal segments I–VIII length (width): 50 (40), 55 (35), 60 (35), 50 (35), 55 (35), 50 (35), 50 (30), 35 (15).

Male macroptera. Similar to female in colour and sculpture but smaller; sternite VIII with irregular transverse pore plate anterior to row of discal setae; tergite IX setae S2 varying in length from as long as to rather shorter than S1 setae.

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 2000. Head, length 175; width 200. Pronotum, length 215; width 325. Tergite IX setae S1 150, S2 80. Tube, length 175, basal width 90; anal setae, length 150.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, Australia, Northern Territory, Erldunda, from Dodonaea viscosa, 1.iii.1996 (D. Morris), in ANIC.

Paratypes: 19 females, 9 males with larvae collected with holotype; same site and date , 3 females, 2 males on Acacia sp. South Australia, Loxton , 6 females, 3 males from Dodonaea viscosa galls, 5.vi.2002 .

Comments. This species is similar to minor , from which it is distinguished in the key above, and particularly by the deeply shaded major setae on the pronotum and the shaded fore wings. It is one of six species in the genus sharing with the type species, simplicipennis , the absence of duplicated cilia on the fore wing.

Figures

FIGURES 27–36. Teuchothrips of Australia. (27) T. clavipilus head. T. connatus 28–30: (28) head & pronotum anterior margin; (29) antenna; (30) metanotum & pelta. T. disjunctus (31) head. T. dodonaea 32–34: (32) head & pronotum; (33) antenna; (34) metanotum & pelta. T. froggatti 35–36: (35) head & pronotum; (36) metanotum & pelta.