Macrotrachelia nigronitens ( Stal , 1860)

Thorpe, Stephen E., 2014, Notes on the biology, distribution, biosecurity status and history in New Zealand of Macrotrachelianigronitens (Stal, 1860) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae), Biodiversity Data Journal 2, pp. 1077-1077 : 1077

Macrotrachelia nigronitens ( Stal, 1860)

Anthocoris nigronitens Stål, 1860: 43 [Original description]

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Keith A. J. Wise; individualCount: 1; sex: female; Taxon: scientificName: Macrotrachelianigronitens ( Stål, 1860); Location: country: New Zealand; stateProvince: Auckland (AK); verbatimLocality: 15 Kingdale Road, Henderson, New Zealand, AK; verbatimElevation: 10 m; decimalLatitude: -36.86036; decimalLongitude: 174.62549; coordinateUncertaintyInMeters: 32; Identification: identifiedBy: Stephen E. Thorpe; Event: samplingProtocol: Swept; eventDate: 1997-05-09; habitat: Garden; fieldNumber: L5751; Record Level: institutionCode: Auckland Museum; collectionCode: AMNZ 59842

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: G. Robertson; individualCount: 3; sex: females; Taxon: scientificName: Macrotrachelianigronitens ( Stål, 1860); Location: country: New Zealand; stateProvince: Auckland (AK); verbatimLocality: Auckland Regional Botanic Gardens, Manurewa, New Zealand, AK; verbatimElevation: 40m; decimalLatitude: -37.00879; decimalLongitude: 174.90646; coordinateUncertaintyInMeters: 570; Identification: identifiedBy: Stephen E. Thorpe; Event: eventDate: 2005-08; habitat: In leaf-roll galls on Callistemon sp. infested with Teuchothripsdisjunctus (Hood); fieldNumber: L14594; Record Level: institutionCode: Auckland Museum; collectionCode: AMNZ 73644, 73645, 73646

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: John W. Early; individualCount: 5; sex: 3 females, 2 immatures; Taxon: scientificName: Macrotrachelianigronitens ( Stål, 1860); Location: country: New Zealand; stateProvince: Auckland (AK); verbatimLocality: Auckland Airport, Mangere, New Zealand, AK; decimalLatitude: -37.00019; decimalLongitude: 174.79505; coordinateUncertaintyInMeters: 400; Identification: identifiedBy: Stephen E. Thorpe; Event: eventDate: 2011-04-17; habitat: With Gynaikothripsficorum in rolled leaves of Ficusmicrocarpa; fieldNumber: L19131; Record Level: institutionCode: Auckland Museum; collectionCode: AMNZ 85334 (immature), 85335 (immature), 85336 (adult female), 85337 (adult female), 85338 (adult female)

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Stephen E. Thorpe; individualCount: 1; sex: male; Taxon: scientificName: Macrotrachelianigronitens ( Stål, 1860); Location: country: New Zealand; stateProvince: Auckland (AK); verbatimLocality: 25 Felton Mathew Ave, suburb of Saint Johns, New Zealand, AK; verbatimLatitude: -36.87246; verbatimLongitude: 174.84731; coordinateUncertaintyInMeters: 5; Identification: identifiedBy: Stephen E. Thorpe; Event: eventDate: 2014-03-01; habitat: On Callistemon sp. In leaf-roll galls of Teuchothripsdisjunctus; fieldNumber: L17240; Record Level: institutionCode: Auckland Museum; collectionCode: AMNZ 87996

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Stephen E. Thorpe; individualCount: 1; sex: male; Taxon: scientificName: Macrotrachelianigronitens ( Stål, 1860); Location: country: New Zealand; stateProvince: Auckland (AK); verbatimLocality: 2 Farringdon Street, suburb of Glen Innes, New Zealand, AK; verbatimLatitude: -36.87164; verbatimLongitude: 174.85883; coordinateUncertaintyInMeters: 0; Identification: identifiedBy: Stephen E. Thorpe; Event: eventDate: 2014-03-02; habitat: On Callistemon sp., growing over fence into Paddington Reserve. In leaf-roll gall of Teuchothripsdisjunctus; fieldNumber: EN17241; Record Level: institutionCode: Auckland Museum; collectionCode: AMNZ 87997

Distribution

Within New Zealand, Macrotrachelia nigronitens is present in at least the vicinity of Auckland City and suburbs (AK). The genus Macrotrachelia consists of 6 currently recognised Central American species, with only Macrotrachelia nigronitens extending (naturally?) into South America (Argentina, Brazil), and possibly also adventive in California ( Carpintero 2002, Lewis et al. 2005).

Biology

Macrotrachelia nigronitens is a predator of thrips inside leaf-roll galls induced by the thrips. Two species of thrips ( Thysanoptera : Tubulifera: Phlaeothripidae ) are responsible for such galls in New Zealand, both of them adventive. One is Gynaikothrips ficorum on Ficus microcarpa ( Moraceae ). The other is Teuchothrips disjunctus on Callistemon ( Myrtaceae ). Ficus microcarpa is rare in New Zealand, present only in cultivation as an ornamental. Callistemon is far more common, and probably represents the main habitat of Macrotrachelia nigronitens in New Zealand. Note that Gynaikothrips ficorum in New Zealand appears to occur only on Ficus microcarpa , and not any of the other, more common species of Ficus . Note also that Macrotrachelia nigronitens has not been found feeding on any other thrips, at least not in New Zealand.

The data presented herein strongly indicates that Macrotrachelia nigronitens is present in New Zealand as a permanent wild population in suburban gardens and parks. It should therefore be added to the New Zealand Organisms Register (NZOR), as exotic and present in the wild.

The pathway of entry of Macrotrachelia nigronitens into New Zealand is unknown. It may have arrived here directly from the Americas, associated with Gynaikothrips ficorum , and then shifted host to the much more locally abundant Teuchothrips disjunctus on Callistemon . It is not known to be present in Australia, where both Teuchothrips disjunctus and Callistemon are native.