Iotatubothrips daguilari, Mound & Tree & Wells, 2022

Mound, Laurence A., Tree, Desley J. & Wells, Alice, 2022, Convoluted maxillary stylets among Australian Thysanoptera Phlaeothripinae associated mainly with Casuarinaceae trees, Zootaxa 5190 (3), pp. 301-332 : 327-328

Iotatubothrips daguilari sp.n.

( Figs 69–73 )

Male microptera. Body, legs and antennae brown, tibae, tarsi and antennal segment III paler; major setae hyaline. Head wider than long; vertex with irregular transverse reticulation; postocular setae short and pointed; ocelli very small; maxillary stylets retracted almost to postocular setae, one fifth of head width apart, with maxillary bridge ( Fig. 69 ). Antennae 8-segmented ( Fig. 72 ), III as wide as long without sense cone, IV and V each with 2 stout sense cones placed ventrally, VI with one sense cone, VII narrowed to base. Pronotum transverse, without sculpture lines medially, with five pairs of capitate major setae. Mesonotum with narrowly spaced transverse reticulation, lateral setae small and capitate. Metanotum transverse ( Fig. 70 ), weakly reticulate, median setae short and pointed. Mesopresternum reduced to scattered small fragments; mesoeusternum anterior margin transverse; metathoracic sternopleural sutures short and often incomplete. Fore tarsus with tooth about 0.5 as long as tarsal width; fore tibia ventro-lateral inner apex with small tooth. Fore wing lobe less than 0.3 as long as pterothorax width, without subbasal setae. Pelta reduced to small irregular triangular sclerite ( Fig. 70 ); tergites II–VII each with one pair of widely spaced almost straight or weakly sigmoid wing-retaining setae; tergite IX setae S2 not shorter than S1; tube slightly longer than head ( Fig. 71 , excavate ventrally for at least half its length. Sternites without pore plates.

Measurements (holotype male in microns). Body length 2200. Head, length 160; width medially 185; po setae 15. Pronotum, length 175; width 300; major setae – am 35, aa 35, ml 60, epim 60, pa 60. Fore wing lobe 130. Tergite IX setae S1 85, S2 110. Tube, basal width 100, length 180. Antennal segments III–VIII length 30, 35, 35, 35, 38, 15.

Female microptera. Closely similar to male in colour and structure, but slightly larger; tube with dorsal apical margin prolonged over ventral margin.

Female macroptera. Similar in colour and structure to micropterae, but ocelli well developed and metanotum more elongate; fore wing widened distally, without duplicated cilia, with (or without) one short capitate sub-basal seta; tergal wing-retaining setae almost straight ( Fig. 73 ).

Specimens studied. Holotype male microptera, Queensland, 15km west of Mt Glorious , from woody gall on “ Casuarina ” twig, 3.x.1999 ( LAM 3752 ) in ANIC.

Paratypes: 6 micropterous males, 30 micropterous females, 4 macropterous females taken with holotype; same locality, from gall on C. cunninghamiana , 5 micropterous males, 15 micropterous females, 19.iii.2002 .

Comments. This species differs from the two previously described species in the genus in having the pronotal major setae of the micropterae as short and capitate as those of the macropterae. In contrast, in crozieri and kranzae the pronotal setae of micropterae are long and acute. The macropterae of crozieri also usually have the pronotal setae long and pointed, whereas macropterae of kranzae and daguilari have these setae capitate although distinctly longer in kranzae than in the new species. Unfortunately, the host association of this species remains doubtful, because plant samples were not retained for either of the two samples collected. When the second sample was found, the tree involved was growing near a stream and was assumed to be C. cunninghamiana , but no similar galls have ever been found anywhere else on this tree species that is widely distributed in eastern Australia.

Figures

FIGURES 69–78. Iotatubothrips & Xyelethrips. I. daguilari 69–73: (69) head & pronotum; (70) metanotum & pelta; (71) tergites IX–X; (72) antenna; (73) macroptera tergites IV–VI. X. quadritibia 74–78: (74) prosternites; (75) head; (76) tergites VIII–X; (77) antenna; (78) metanotum & pelta.