Hoplothrips reedi, Mound & Wang & Tree, 2020

Mound, Laurence A., Wang, Jun & Tree, Desley J., 2020, The genus Hoplothrips in Australia (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae), with eleven new species, Zootaxa 4718 (3), pp. 301-323 : 315-316

Hoplothrips reedi sp. n.

( Figs 16, 17 , 29 , 41 , 61 )

Female macroptera. Body, legs and antennae light brown, apices of tibiae, tarsi, and base of antennal segment III paler; major setae pale; fore wing weakly shaded. Head without sculpture lines; genae widest behind eyes and narrowed to base; ocelli close to eyes, dorsal length of compound eyes greater than one third of head length; postocular setae short with apex pointed; maxillary stylets retracted about halfway to postocular setae, one fifth of head width apart medially. Antennal segment III with 1 sense cone, IV with 2 sense cones, IV–VII each with pedicel, VIII slen- der and narrowed to base ( Fig. 41 ). Pronotum without sculpture; major setae short and pointed, only epimeral setae well-developed ( Fig. 17 ). Mesonotum without sculpture, lateral setal pair minute; metanotum without sculpture, median setae small and acute. Prosternal basantra absent; ferna transverse, band-like, fused medially; mesopresternum absent, mesoeusternal anterior margin extensively eroded ( Fig. 29 ). Fore tarsal tooth sharp, about as long as half of tarsal width. Fore wing sub-basal setae minute, no duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular, no sculpture, campaniform sensilla present or absent; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of minute, straight, wing-retaining setae; median marginal setae arise laterally; tergite VIII median setae not elongate; tergite IX setae S1 shorter than tube, S2 longer than tube; anal setae as long as tube.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2280. Head, length 198; width 207; postocular setae 43, distance between their bases 193; postocellar setae 5, distance between their bases 75. Pronotum, length 162; median width 228; major setae am 8, aa 8, ml 8, epim 78, pa 25. Mesonotum lateral setae 10; metanotum median setae 10. Fore wing length 98, sub-basal setae 10. Tergite IV median marginal setae 38; tergite VIII median setae 20, tergite IX setae S1 102, S2 148. Tube length 113. Anal setae 111. Antennal segments III–VIII length (width) 50 (32), 45 (34), 43 (33), 40 (29), 41 (24), 51 (13).

Female aptera. Similar to macropterous female, but ocelli absent, compound eyes reduced to 3 facets, prosternal ferna slender, and mesonotum transverse.

Measurements (in microns). Body length 2750. Head, length 170; width 198; postocular setae 41.

Male aptera. Similar to female aptera but smaller; fore femora and tarsal tooth larger ( Fig. 16 ); tergite IX S2 setae shorter; major males with fore femora and tarsal tooth particularly large, pronotum with prominent median ridge; sternite VIII with three small round pore plates arranged in a triangle ( Fig. 61 ), sternites VI and VII laterally with irregular specialised reticulate areas; small males have the lateral pair of pore plates minute on sternite VIII, and sternite VII with the lateral reticulate areas weak or absent.

Measurements (in microns). Body length 2520. Head, length 187; width 186; postocular setae 40. Pronotum, length 240; median width 270; major setae am 7, aa 7, ml 7, epim 70, pa 20. Tergite VIII median setae 12, Tergite IX setae S1 52, S2 33. Tube length 100, anal setae 110. Antennal segments III–VIII length 57, 45, 48, 43, 42, 52.

Specimens studied. Holotype female macroptera. New South Wales, Glenfield , from Casuarina under bark, 21.v.1959 (E.M. Reed) in ANIC.

Paratypes: same data as holotype, 5 female macropterae, 5 male apterae. Australian Capital Territory, Black Mountain , 7 female dealate macropterae, two female apterae, 1 male from Acacia dead branches and lichen, 30.iv.2011 ; Oakey Hill , 3 female macropterae (1 dealate), 2 female apterae, 4 males from Eucalyptus dead branch, 5.iii.2011 . Queensland, Ormiston , 1 female macroptera from water trap, 12.x.1966 . Victoria, Nelson, 1 female dealate macroptera from Acacia dead twigs, 13.iii.2011 .

Comments. This species is remarkable among Phlaeothripidae , and apparently unique among Hoplothrips species, in the form of the prosternal ferna that are transverse, band-like and fused medially. It is also unusual in having the prothoracic notopleural sutures incomplete at the anterior end ( Figs 16, 17 ), but complete at the posterior end, in having only a single sense cone on the third antennal segment, and in the three small pore plates on sternite VIII of males ( Fig. 61 ). There is a considerable range in body size between the largest and smallest males.

Figures

FIGURES 10–20. Hoplothrips species—head and pronotum. (10) lowdeni male; (11) lowdeni female; (12) nelsoni male; (13) nelsoni female; (14) oakeyi female; (15) oakeyi male; (16) reedi male; (17) reedi pronotum; (18) melanurus pronotum; (19) tarsus; (20) semicaecus female macroptera.

FIGURES 21–30. Hoplothrips species. Head 21–22 (21) wrightae female; (22) wrightae male. Prosternum 23–30 (23) bellingeni; (24) fungosus; (25) lihongae; (26) lowdeni male; (27) tarsus; (28) wrightae; (29) reedi; (30) woodsi (B–basantra; F–ferna; M–mesoeusternum anterior margin).

FIGURES 31–45. Hoplothrips species antennae. (31) bellingeni; (32) corticis (III–V); (33) giganteus; (34) lihongae; (35) lowdeni; (36) nelsoni; (37) oakeyi; (38) wrightae; (39) orientalis (III–V); (40) poultoni; (41) reedi; (42) semicaecus female macroptera; (43) semicaecus female microptera; (44) semicaecus male microptera; (45) woodsi.

FIGURES 53–66. Hoplothrips species. Metanotum & pelta 53–54 (53) oudeus; (54) woodsi. (55) tarsus pelta. (56) lamingtoni tergite II. Male sternite VIII pore plate 57–64 (57) corticis; (58) lihongae; (59) wrightae; (60) oakeyi; (61) reedi; (62) melanurus (VII–VIII); (63) poultoni; (64) woodsi. Male sternites 65–66 (65) giganteus (VII); (66) melanurus (V–VI).