Leeuwenia cameroni, Mound & Tree, 2021

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2021, Structural variation among species of Leeuwenia (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) with three new species from Australia, Zootaxa 4903 (3), pp. 439-447 : 442

Leeuwenia cameroni sp.n.

[ Figs 2 , 7, 13 , 16, 17 ]

Female macroptera. Body bicoloured ( Fig. 2 ), pterothorax and all coxae and femora brown, tibiae and tarsi yellow; head and pronotum yellow with brown lateral margins; abdominal segments II-VII largely yellow with variable brown markings medially, VIII light brown, IX and tube uniformly darker; fore wing pale without basal shading but with faint median longitudinal shaded line; antennal segments I‒II brown, III‒VIII yellow. Head with genae convex, sharply constricted behind compound eyes ( Fig. 7 ); vertex with numerous small tubercles on lines of reticulation; postocular setae not distinguished from minor setae, post ocellar setae small; maxillary stylets about one fifth of head width apart, retracted to postocular region ( Fig. 7 ). Antennal segment III less than 3.0 times as long as maximum width ( Fig. 16 ); III with one sense cone equal in length to segment width, IV with two sense cones about 1.5 times as long as segment apical width. Pronotum reticulate, with median longitudinal band of reticles; setae am, ml and pa not distinguished from discal setae, aa and epim broadly capitate; notopleural sutures not complete. Mesonotal lateral setae minute. Metanotum ( Fig. 17 ) reticulate, reticles with internal markings, sometimes with one or more pairs of small setae lateral to the median pair. Prosternal basantra weakly developed, ferna transverse and complete medially, mesopresternum complete; sternopleural sutures not present, meta-epimera swollen. Fore tarsi without tooth. Pelta rectangular, longer than wide with lateral margins constricted ( Fig. 17 ); tergites II‒VII each with two pairs of broadly flattened wing-retaining setae ( Fig. 13 ); tergite IX setae S1 and S2 short and blunt to weakly capitate; tube at least 12 times as long as basal width.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2500. Head, length 250; width across genae 185; postocular setae 10. Pronotum, length 150; width 250; major setae am 10, aa 25, ml 10, epim 55, pa 10. Fore wing length 700; sub-basal setae S1‒ S3 10, 10, 10. Tergite IX setae S1 15, S2 40. Tube 600. Antennal segments III‒VIII length, 60, 50, 55, 50, 45, 40.

Male macroptera. Closely similar to female in colour and structure but smaller; tergite IX setae S2 shorter than S1; sternite VIII with large circular pore plate medially.

Material studied. Holotype female, Australia, Queensland, Mt Lewis [16°35’S; 145°18’E], 60km northwest of Cairns , from leaf galls on Syzygium sp., 1.x.2015 ( LAM 6171 ) [on slide with paratype male].

Paratypes: 16 females, 10 males collected with holotype; same locality , 5 females, 4 males from leaf galls on Syzygium alatoramulum , 18.ix.2013 ( DJT 1652 ) .

Comments. As indicated, this species is very similar in many structural details to L. irukandji but is noticeably different in colour. It is named in recognition of the extensive support provided to thrips studies in Queensland by Cameron Tree.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Leeuwenia species. Females 1–3: (1) aliceae sp.n.; (2) cameroni sp.n.; (3) irukandji sp.n. Leaf galls 4–6: (4) colony of scolopiae; (5) colony of tetrastigmae with Teuchothrips sp. inquiline; (6) polyosmae gall.

FIGURES 7–14. Leeuwenia species. Head & pronotum 7–8: (7) cameroni sp. n. (8) irukandji sp.n. L. aliceae sp.n. 9–12: (9) head; (10) pronotum; (11) metanotum, pelta and tergite II; (12) tube. Tergites III–IV 13-14: (13) cameroni sp. n.; (14) irukandji sp. n.

FIGURES 15–21. Leeuwenia species. Antennal segments III–VIII 15–16: (15) aliceae sp. n.; (16) cameroni sp. n. Metanotum & pelta 17–18: (17) cameroni sp. n.; (18) irukandji sp. n. Prosternites 19–20: (19) irukandji sp. n.; (20) scolopiae. (21) scolopiae metanotum, pelta and tergite II.