Stictothrips namadji, Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2015

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2015, Fungus-feeding Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae of the Idiothrips genus-group in Australia, with nine new species, Zootaxa 4034 (2), pp. 325-341 : 330

Stictothrips namadji sp.n.

( Figs 3 , 9–12 )

Female macroptera. Body and legs yellow with light brown markings: head with paired sub-lateral longitudinal brown stripes ( Fig. 9 ); pronotum and mesonotum with three similar longitudinal brown areas ( Fig. 10 ); metanotum with 2 longitudinal brown areas, lateral part of metathorax brown; tergites II–VIII with brown markings laterally ( Fig. 11 ), IX almost yellow; tube brown; tarsi yellow; femora and tibiae yellow with brown marking medially; antennal segment I yellow with brown external margin, II light brown, III yellow with apex shaded, IV and V brown with pedicel yellow, VI largely yellow, VII–VIII brown; fore wings largely pale with darker marking near sub-median constriction.

With the character states indicated in the generic diagnosis; body surface sculpture complex but delicate ( Figs 9–12 ); head with maxillary stylets about 50% of head width apart, retracted almost to posterior dorsal margin of eyes, maxillary bridge stout; two longitudinal rows of metanotal setae finely acute ( Fig. 12 ); mesoeusternum anterior margin eroded medially; fore tarsus without tooth; tergal wing-retaining setae sigmoid and slender.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1650. Head, length 190; width 175. Pronotum, length 100; width 190; major setae, am 15, aa 15, ml 15, epim 25, pa 20. Fore wing length 600. Tergite IX setae S1 25; S2 30. Tube length 130. Antennal segments III–VIII length, 43, 43, 43, 40, 35, 35.

Male macroptera. Similar to female in colour and chaetotaxy but slightly smaller; fore tarsus with minute tooth at inner apex; sternites VII and VIII with surface porose (similar in appearance to pore plates of many Phlaeothripinae ).

Material studied. Holotype female, Australian Capital Territory, Casuarina Sands , beaten from Epacridaceae species bearing lichen, 13.viii.1995 (LAM2791).

Paratypes: 5 females, 4 males taken with holotype; Australian Capital Territory, Namadji , 2 females beaten from Monotoca sp. ( Epacridaceae ), 1.xii.2002.

Comments. From the four species currently placed in this genus, S. namadji differs in having the body surface sculpture considerably more delicate. Also, the position of the maxillary stylets is very different, about 50% of head width apart with a long maxillary bridge, whereas in the other four species they are close together medially in the head. Moreover, females of the other species have a fore tarsal tooth, and their tergal wing-retaining setae are broadly flattened. S. namadji is superficially similar in appearance to some species of Azaleothrips , but species in that genus all have antennal segments VII and VIII broadly joined, and the maxillary stylets close together medially in the head. The porose sternites VII and VIII of the male of namadji are essentially similar to those of fimbriata Ananthakrishnan from India, However, the condition in the other three species of this genus is not known, although Mound and Marullo (1996) considered the males as “without glandular area”.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Idiothrips genus-group from Australia. Antennae 1 – 4: (1) Idiothrips bellus from Iran; (2) Azaleothrips lixinae; (3) Stictothrips namadji; (4) Strepterothrips verruculus. Azaleothrips lixinae 5 – 8: (5) head; (6) pelta and tergites; (7) tergites VII – IX and tube; (8) pronotum and metanotum.

FIGURES 9 – 15. Stictothrips species from Australia. S. namadji 9 – 12: (9) head; (10) pronotum; (11) tergites VII – VIII; (12) metanotum and pelta. S. aoristus 13 – 15: (13) antenna; (14) metanotum, pelta and tergites; (15) head and pronotum.