Pseudodendrothrips marissae, Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2016

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2016, Genera of the leaf-feeding Dendrothripinae of the world (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), with new species from Australia and Sulawesi, Indonesia, Zootaxa 4109 (5), pp. 569-582 : 580-581

Pseudodendrothrips marissae sp.n.

Female macroptera: In life, sharply bicoloured, abdomen almost white but head and thorax often with extensive red internal pigment. Body and legs largely pale; head extensively brown dorsally and ventrally but paler laterally; pronotum evenly light brown but paler on posterior third; antennal segments I and II as dark brown as head, III–IX light brown with III palest; fore wing basal third or quarter white (also clavus) in sharp contrast to dark median area that is gradually paler toward the apex ( Fig. 31 ).

Structural details typical of genus; head weakly reticulate, ocellar setae III small arising just mesad of anterior margins of posterior ocelli ( Fig. 30 ); compound eyes with about 7 weakly pigmented facets. Antennae 9- segmented, sense cones on III and IV elongate and U-shaped; VI with sense cone arising close to base, VII clearly distinct from VI. Pronotum transversely reticulate, reticles with internal markings; posterior margin with 3 (sometimes 4) pairs of setae of which outer 2 pairs longest. Mesonotal setae small, metanotum typical of genus ( Fig. 30 ). Fore wing with 7 veinal setae, clavus with 2 veinal and one discal setae; costal cilia arising almost at anterior margin; posteromarginal cilia straight. Hind tarsi very long, about 0.8 as long as hind tibiae. Tergites II–VIII lateral thirds with transverse rows of small longitudinal ridges ( Fig. 32 ), median setal pair long and close together; VIII with long marginal comb; IX and X with band of discal microtrichia on posterior third. Sternites transversely reticulate, III–VII with 3 pairs of marginal setae, II with 2 pairs, setae on VII arising sub-marginally.

Measurements (female holotype in microns). Body length 900. Head, length 50; width across eyes 130; ocellar setae III 12?. Pronotum, length 65; width 140; posteroangular setae 30, 35. Fore wing length 600. Hind tibia 120; hind tarsus 100. Antennal segments III–IX length 27, 33, 30, 33, 10, 15, 15.

Male macroptera. Similar to female but smaller and paler, head brown on at least anterior half, pronotum scarcely brown; fore wing basal pale area shorter than in female.

Material studied. Holotype female, Australia, New South Wales, Lorien, Lansdowne (near Taree), from Ficus coronata , 13.iv.2002 (LAM 4134), in ANIC.

Paratypes: 2 females, 2 males taken with holotype; Queensland, Mt Glorious, Red Cedar Flat, 4 females, 3 males from Ficus coronata , 13.x.2006. Australian Capital Territory, Namadji, 1 male from Poa sp., 19.xi.2006.

Specimens excluded from type series: New South Wales, Redhead, SE of Taree, 10 females, 10 males from Ficus fraseri , 19.i.2001; Kiwarrak, 20km south of Taree, 1 female, 1 male from Ficus rubiginosa , 14.iv.2002; Queensland, Monto, 2 females from Ficus coronata , 27.iii.1995.

Comments. The dark fore wing with the basal fifth sharply pale distinguishes this species from its congeners in Australia. Moreover, the pronotum is more evenly brown in colour, rather than bearing discrete brown areas ( Fig 29 ). The females excluded from the type series have the pronotum rather paler ( Fig. 30 ), the fore wing more extensively pale distally, and the males with the body and wings almost uniformly pale. In common with all the Pseudodendrothrips known from Australia, the apex of the hind tibia in marissae bears a single stout seta, in contrast to the two such setae found in aegyptiacus, a pale bodied species that is widespread from eastern Mediterranean countries, including Egypt, Israel and Abu Dhabi, to southern Africa and the Canary Islands.

Figures

FIGURES 28 – 32. Dendrothripinae. (28) Pseudodendrothrips darci head and pronotum. 29 – 32 Pseudodendrothrips marissae: (29) head and pronotum—paratype female in Hoyers Mountant; (30) head and pronotum—non-paratype female; (31) fore wing; (32) tergites IV – VI.