Litotetothrips caledonensis (Bournier) Mound & Tree, 2021

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2021, Litotetothrips Priesner (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae); an Asian genus newly recorded from Australia with two new species and one new combination, Zootaxa 5027 (3), pp. 445-450 : 447

Litotetothrips caledonensis (Bournier) comb.n.

( Figs 2, 3, 6, 10 )

Athlibothrips caledonensis Bournier, 1993: 361

This species was described from five females and six males taken in rolled leaves of Cordia discolor on New Caledonia, but Bournier also mentioned four females taken from a related species of Cunoniaceae , Pancheria alatanoides . None of these specimens have been re-examined, but the original description and illustration is clear, and the following redescription is based on adult specimens taken from the same host plant, as detailed below.

Female macroptera. Body and legs brown, head and tube darkest, tarsi slightly paler; antennal segments I–II and V–VIII brown, III mainly yellow, IV varying from yellowish brown to brown; fore wings brown at base, then a pale band with distal two-thirds shaded; major setae all pale. Head scarcely longer than wide ( Fig. 2 ), widest just behind eyes, genae slightly narrowed to base without setae; vertex with faint irregular transverse sculpture lines; one or two posterolateral eye facets slightly enlarged; stylets retracted to postocular setae, with maxillary bridge; po setae blunt at apex, median cephalic setae sometimes long. Antennal segment IV with 3 sense cones. Pronotum with a few sculpture lines at anterior and posterior, smooth medially; am setae pointed and usually minute; notopleural sutures almost complete; epim and pa setae weakly capitate. Mesonotal lateral setae small and blunt at apex; metanotal median setae small and acute. Prosternal ferna as wide apart as their diameter ( Fig. 10 ); mesopresternum transverse but slender. Fore wing with 11 duplicated cilia. Pelta broadly triangular, with paired campaniform sensilla ( Fig. 3 ); tergite lateral setae blunt to weakly capitate, setae on IX long and pointed; tube with straight sides, anal setae slightly shorter than tube.

Measurements (female from Queensland in microns). Body length 2200. Head, length 215; width behind eyes 185; po setae 40. Pronotum, length 130; width 235; major setae—am 5, aa 20, ml 20, epim 50, pa 50. Fore wing, length 820, width 75; sub-basal setae 20, 25, 30. Mesonotal lateral setae 20; metanotal median setae 15. Tergite VI lateral setae 85. Tergite IX setae 130, 150, 150. Tube length 160. Antennal segments III–VIII length 55, 55, 50, 50, 40, 40.

Male macroptera. Similar to female but slightly smaller; tergite IX setae S2 short and weak.

Measurements (male from Queensland in microns). Body length 1750. Head length 185. Fore wing length 680. Tergite IX setae 130, 25, 170. Tube length 150.

Specimens studied. New Caledonia, Rivier Bleu , 6 females, 6 males from rolled leaves of Pancheria alatanoides [ Cunoniaceae ], 7.iv.2012 ( LAM5568 ) ; Mont Do , 2 females, 4 males from rolled apical leaves of Pancheria sp. , 16.iv.2012 ( LAM5606 )( ANIC) . Australia, Queensland: Brisbane Forest Park, Mt Nebo , 2 females, 1 male beaten from shrubs and ferns, 27.vii.1968 ( LAM787 )( ANIC) ; Lamington, O’Reilly’s Moran Falls , 1 female by bark-spraying tree buttress, 4.viii.2013 ( DJT1625 )( QDPC) .

Comments. This species has one of the posterolateral eye facets distinctly enlarged, as described in the original description of Thlibothrips . Presumably Bournier described the species originally in Athlibothrips because the mouth cone is relatively long, but that condition is not reliable as a generic distinction as it is commonly affected by cover-slip pressure in slide-mounted specimens. The pronotal setae of caledonensis vary in length, even among single population samples; the aa and epim setae vary from 15 to 25 and from 50 to 75 respectively in the sample listed from Rivier Bleue. Moreover, although specimens from New Caledonia have antennal segment IV yellowish brown, the specimens from Queensland have this segment almost as dark brown as the succeeding segments.

Figures

FIGURES 1‒10. Litotetothrips species. Head & pronotum 1–2: (1) gallicola; (2) caledonensis. Mesonotum to tergite II 3–5: (3) caledonensis; (4) gallicola; (5) tareei. Antenna 6-8: (6) caledonensis; (7) gallicola; (8) tareei. Thoracic sternites 9–10: (9) tareei; (10) caledonensis.