Eurynothrips laheyi, Mound & Tree, 2021

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2021, Eurynothrips Bagnall (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae): a rare and long-lost Australian genus, with one new gall-inducing species, Zootaxa 5005 (3), pp. 251-256 : 255-256

Eurynothrips laheyi sp.n.

( Figs 7–15 )

Female and male macropterae. Both sexes vary greatly in size between individuals ( Figs 9, 10 ), but with no sexual dimorphism except males tend to be smaller; body and legs dark brown ( Fig. 8 ), fore femora paler distally, fore tibiae and tarsi yellow; antennal segments mainly yellow with weak shading on segments II and IV–VII; major setae pale, fore wings shaded.

With the character states in the generic diagnosis; prominent tubercle on head arises ventrally between tentorial pits in large individuals (projecting laterally on right in Fig. 7 due to head rotating), reduced or absent in medium to smaller individuals including holotype ( Fig. 13 ); frontoclypeus posterior margin forming a large emergent tubercle with rugose apex in large individuals but merely weakly swollen in smallest individuals.

Measurements (holotype female, also smallest/largest females in microns). Body length 4200 (3000–5000). Head, length 300; width across eyes 260; minimum width across genae 240; postocular setae 130. Pronotum, length 600 (330–900); width between midlateral setae 750 (450–1100); prothorax width across fore coxae 880 (620–1300); midlateral and epimeral setae 150. Fore wing length 1500; duplicated cilia 32 (24–50); sub-basal setae 75, 125, 125. Tube length 380 (300–450). Antennal segments III–VIII length, 110, 90, 85, 80, 85, 60.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, Australia, Queensland, Brisbane, Oxley , from leaf gall on Planchonella pohlmaniana , 10.xii.2014 (John Lahey), in ANIC, Canberra.

Paratypes: 4 females 4 males taken with holotype; 4 females 2 males from same site and host plant, 16.xii.2014 ( DJT 1987 ) ; 10 females 2 males from same site and host plant, 14.ii.2021 ( DJT 2113 ); Queensland, Imbil , 5 females 7 males from pod-like gall on scrub tree, 17.xi.1937 (A. Brimlecombe ), in QDPC Brisbane and ANIC , Canberra .

Figures

FIGURES 1–7. Eurynothrips species. Leaf galls on Planchonella pohlmaniana 1–5: (1) Young gall; (2) Galls on terminal leaves; (3) Adults wandering on gall surface; (4–5) Mature galls. (6) Head of E. magnicollis paralectotype, lateral view. (7) Head of E. laheyi paratype, lateral view.

FIGURES 8–16. Eurynothrips laheyi sp.n. (8) Female; (9–10) Head and pronotum of large and small females. (11) Antenna. (12) Prosternum. (13) Holotype head ventral surface. (14) Pronotum. (15) Metanotum and pelta. (16) Specimens from Imbil (QDPC Brisbane).