Anaphothrips cecili Girault, 1928

Mound, Laurence A. & Masumoto, Masami, 2009, Australian Thripinae of the Anaphothrips genus-group (Thysanoptera), with three new genera and thirty-three new species, Zootaxa 2042 (1), pp. 1-76 : 24-26

Anaphothrips cecili Girault

( Figs 44–45 )

Anaphothrips cecili Girault, 1928: 1

Hemianaphothrips (Anaphothrips) concinnus Morison, 1931: 245

The only mention of the name A. cecili in any publication by Girault was as follows:

“ 6. An. cecili . A. striatus , in Froggatt, Agric. Gaz. N.S.W., 1920, p.505, pl.; near keatsi.”

By these two lines Girault (1928) provided a new name for a species misidentified by Froggatt in 1920 as A. striatus (now regarded as a synonym of A. obscurus ). However, Froggatt stated that the specimens he discussed as A. striatus were collected from tobacco leaves at Gunnedah and Tamworth (New South Wales). In contrast, the specimens labelled by Girault as Types of A. cecili (see Pitkin, 1978) bear the locality “Bowen Q” (Queensland) and the date “10.9.31”. That is, they appear to have been collected three years after publication of the name at a site more than 1000 km further north, and thus cannot be considered type material. No specimens bearing Froggatt’s original data have been found amongst the collections of his material at Canberra or at Orange. A neotype is therefore designated, as follows:

Neotype here designated: Victoria, Burnley, paratype female of Hemianaphothrips concinnus Morison , taken on Lycium horridum , 11.xii.1929, in ANIC, Canberra.

This thrips seems to be associated with several unrelated plants. It has been taken at widely separated sites on tobacco, including northern New South Wales, Canberra (in greenhouse), and South Australia. More commonly it is associated with the leaves of Lycium ferossissimum (Solanaceae) and has been taken on this plant in Hobart, Canberra, and near Adelaide. Moreover, in southeastern Queensland it has been taken in large numbers on both Zygophyllum apiculatum (Zygophyllaceae) and Duboisia (Solanaceae) . This species is unusual amongst the Australian Anaphothrips in having setae S3 on tergite VI (and VII) as long as setae S4. A few female specimens have been studied from Wittenoom in the north of Western Australia that have the S3 setae long on tergite VI but reduced on tergite VII.

Female macroptera. Colour variable, from largely yellow with brown tergite markings and yellow legs, to mainly brown with legs extensively brown; antennal segment I commonly white but sometimes light brown, II dark brown, III–IX light brown; fore wings weakly shaded along veins; major setae at abdomen apex dark. Head wider than long; transverse reticulation behind eyes, weakly sculptured in ocellar triangle; ocellar setae III inside triangle, usually no further apart than diameter of first ocellus ( Fig. 44 ); eyes with 6 pigmented facets. Antennae 9- segmented; III–IV weakly constricted at apex with prominent forked sensorium; II with a few microtrichia. Pronotum with irregular sculpture lines, discal setae sometimes weakly thickened rather than finely setaceous. Prosternal ferna almost entire. Metascutum reticulate, reticles usually with internal markings ( Fig. 42 ), median setae well posterior to anterior margin, MCS absent. Fore wing first vein with about 8 setae basally, 2 setae medially and 2 setae distally; second vein with 10–16 setae including one setae sometimes present basal to vein fork; clavus with 5–7 veinal setae plus one seta at base. Abdominal tergites II–VII with no sculpture medially, lateral sculpture of closely spaced lines with Scirtothrips -like microtrichia not extending mesad of setae S2 ( Fig. 45 ); median pair of setae on IV–VII closer together than their length; VI (and often VII) with setae S3 as large as S4; VIII with long regular posteromarginal comb.

Male macroptera. Similar to female; tergite VIII with two pairs of small stout setae medially; sternites III–VI with small C-shaped pore plate ( Fig. 41 ).

Figures

FIGURES 44–52. Anaphothrips of Australia. A. cecili 44–45: (44) head & pronotum; (45) tergites VI–VIII. A. chortinus 46–51: (46) male sternites; (47) male tergite IX; (48) meso & metanotum; (49) head; (50) antenna; (51) tergites VII–VIII. (52) A. cobari meso & metanotum.

FIGURES 32–43. Anaphothrips of Australia. A. barrowi 32–35: (32) head; (33) tergites V–VII; (34) male tergite IX; (35) antenna. A. callani 36–38: (36) antenna; (37) tergites V–VII; (38) male sternites II–V. A. carlylei 39–40: (39) antenna; (40) male sternites. A. cecili 41–43: (41) male sternites; (42) meso & metanotum; (43) antenna.