Strepterothrips arake, Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2015

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2015, Fungus-feeding Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae of the Idiothrips genus-group in Australia, with nine new species, Zootaxa 4034 (2), pp. 325-341 : 333

Strepterothrips arake sp.n.

( Figs 17, 20 , 32, 34 , 43 )

Female aptera: Body, legs and antennae brown, with antennal segment I light brown and II almost yellow; tarsi and apex of tibiae yellow; major setae all pale.

Head longer than wide ( Fig. 32 ); cheeks almost parallel, dorsal surface weakly reticulate particularly in midline, mid-dorsal setae not elongate; eyes with 3 facets dorsally and 2 anteroventrally; postocular setae short, broadly capitate. Antennae 7-segmented ( Fig. 20 ), III goblet-shaped with narrow pedicel and no sense cone, IV with 2 sense cones; segments IV–VI with no sculpture lines, VII unusually elongate. Pronotum weakly reticulate ( Fig. 32 ), with irregular rows of small tubercles near posterior margin; with 4 pairs of short, broadly capitate setae, ml setae not developed; notopleural sutures incomplete. Mesonotum transversely reticulate, with one pair of capitate lateral setae. Metanotum weakly reticulate, with about 40 finely pointed discal setae. Prosternal basantra not developed; ferna transverse, not meeting medially; mesopresternum reduced to pair of very small lateral triangles, mesoeusternum anterior margin strongly eroded. Pelta broadly D-shaped, reticulate with transverse row of up to 8 pointed setae ( Fig. 34 ); tergites weakly reticulate with rows of small tubercles near posterior margins, with transverse row of finely pointed discal setae; II–VII with pair of asymmetrically capitate posteromarginal setae ( Fig. 34 ), these setae longer on VIII; setae S1 on IX capitate, longer than basal width of tube ( Fig. 43 ); S2 longer and finely acute.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1450. Head, length 195; width 160; po setae 20. Pronotum, length 110; width 200; major setae, am 17, aa 17, ml?, epim 25, pa 25. Tergite IX setae S1 60; S2 75. Tube length 95; basal width 60; anal setae 85. Antennal segments III–VII length, 22, 35, 35, 45, 75.

Material studied. Holotype female aptera. Australia, Queensland, Carnarvon Station, nr Kaka Mundi Rd., Callitris barkspray, 10.x.2014 (DJ Tree 1913) ( ANIC).

Paratypes: 3 female apterae taken with holotype;

Non-paratypes. Queensland, Carnarvon Station, 2 female 2 male apterae from Acacia harpophylla barkspray, 13.x.2014.

Comments. The type specimens of this species have an almost symmetrical goblet-shaped third antennal segment ( Fig. 20 ), and the species is unusual in lacking the pronotal midlateral pair of setae. The non-paratypes also lack this pair of pronotal setae, but the third antennal segment is less symmetrical, and the tergal discal setae are blunt not pointed. This species is very similar to parvulus , but has a shorter tube and longer terminal antennal segment.

Figures

FIGURES 16 – 26. Strepterothrips species from Australia. Mesoeusternal anterior margin 16 – 19: (16) verruculus; (17); arake; (18) orientalis; (19) parvulus. Antennae 20 – 26: (20) arake; (21) barbatus; (22) moffati; (23) okajimai; (24) orientalis; (25) parvulus; (26) tuberculatus.

FIGURES 27 – 35. Strepterothrips species from Australia. Head 27 – 29: (27) moffati, (28) tuberculatus; (29) verruculus. Head and pronotum 30 – 32: (30) okajimai; (31) parvulus;; (32) arake. Metanotum, pelta and tergites 33 – 34: (33) okajimai; (34) akake. (35) Male verruculus.

FIGURES 36 – 45. Strepterothrips species from Australia. Metanotum and pelta 36 – 37: (36) apterus; (37) barbatus. Pronotum 38 – 39: (38) barbatus; (39) verruculus. (40) verruculus metanotum and pelta. (41) tuberculatus thorax and pelta. (42) moffati metanotum, pelta and tergites. Apical abdominal segments 43 – 45: (43) arake; (44) okajimai; (45) orientalis.