Hoplothrips nelsoni, Mound & Wang & Tree, 2020

Mound, Laurence A., Wang, Jun & Tree, Desley J., 2020, The genus Hoplothrips in Australia (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae), with eleven new species, Zootaxa 4718 (3), pp. 301-323 : 310

Hoplothrips nelsoni sp. n.

( Figs 12, 13 , 36 )

Female macroptera. Body, femora and antennae light brown with tube darker; tibiae shaded with brown, tarsi almost yellow; antennal segment III with basal third pale ( Fig. 36 ). Head without sculpture apart from a few lines at posterior margin; genae subparallel; ocelli present; dorsal length of compound eyes greater than one third of head length; postocular setae capitate, as longas dorsal eye length; maxillary stylets retracted to postocular setae and about one quarter of head width apart medially, weak maxillary bridge present ( Fig. 13 ). Antennal segments III and IV each with 2 sense cones, IV–VII each with pedicel; VIII broadly connected with VII ( Fig. 36 ). Pronotum without sculpture; 4 pairs of capitate major setae, am setae small and pointed. Mesonotum with with weak transverse sculpture, lateral setal pair capitate; metanotum without sculpture medially, median setal pair long and finely pointed. Prosternal basantra absent, ferna acute medially but not meeting; mesopresternum reduced to 2 triangles; mesoeusternal anterior margin entire. Fore tarsal tooth pointed, length equals half of tarsal width ( Fig. 13 ). Fore wing with three small, weakly capitate, sub-basal setae; about 6 duplicated cilia present. Pelta broadly triangular with small lateral lobes; tergites III–VII each with two pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae, these are weak on tergite II; median tergal setae acute but not reaching posterior margins of tergites; tergite VIII median setae capitate, tergite IX setae S1 shorter than tube and capitate, S2 shorter than tube and blunt; anal setae longer than tube.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1950. Head, length 193; width 207; postocular setae 57, distance between their bases 163; postocellar setae 10, distance between their bases 53. Pronotum, length 125; median width 250; major setae am 15, aa 45, ml 40, epim 51, pa 33. Mesonotum lateral setae 30; Metanotum median setae 29. Tergite IV median marginal setae 65; tergite VIII median setae 60, tergite IX setae S1 78, S2 78. Tube length 118. Anal setae 175. Antennal segments III–VIII length (width) 60 (30), 60 (30), 55 (26), 45 (23), 43 (21), 30 (13). Fore wing length 75, sub-basal setae S1 28, S2 28, S3 25.

Female aptera. Similar to macropterous female, but compound eyes smaller, ocelli absent; pelta D-shaped; tergal wing-retaining setae short and pointed.

Measurements (in microns). Body length 1680. Head, length 185; width 170; postocular setae 51.

Male aptera. Similar to apterous female but smaller, with fore leg and tarsal tooth larger ( Fig. 12 ); tergite IX S2 setae shorter; sternite VIII pore plate transverse, about a third of sternite width; sternites VI–VII without specialised reticulate areas laterally.

Measurements (in microns). Body length 1390. Head, length 175; width 158; postocular setae 70. Pronotum, length 128; median width 225; major setae am 10, aa 51, ml 25, epim 55, pa 40. Tergite VIII median setae 41, tergite IX setae S1 73, S2 36. Tube length 88. anal setae 133. Antennal segments III–VIII length 53, 50, 50, 49, 42, 23.

Specimens studied. Holotype female macroptera. Victoria, Nelson, from bark spray of living tree, 5.x.2013 ( DJT 1687 ) in ANIC.

Paratypes: 1 female aptera and 1 male, same data as holotype .

Comments. Within the genus Hoplothrips this species is unusual in having a maxillary bridge. It is generally similar to H. connexus but with shorter median setae on tergites II–VII, and the macroptera has two pairs of welldeveloped sigmoid wing-retaining setae. The pore plate on sternite VIII of the male is transverse but present only on the median third of the sternite, and sternite VII has no specialised reticulate areas laterally.

Figures

FIGURES 10–20. Hoplothrips species—head and pronotum. (10) lowdeni male; (11) lowdeni female; (12) nelsoni male; (13) nelsoni female; (14) oakeyi female; (15) oakeyi male; (16) reedi male; (17) reedi pronotum; (18) melanurus pronotum; (19) tarsus; (20) semicaecus female macroptera.

FIGURES 31–45. Hoplothrips species antennae. (31) bellingeni; (32) corticis (III–V); (33) giganteus; (34) lihongae; (35) lowdeni; (36) nelsoni; (37) oakeyi; (38) wrightae; (39) orientalis (III–V); (40) poultoni; (41) reedi; (42) semicaecus female macroptera; (43) semicaecus female microptera; (44) semicaecus male microptera; (45) woodsi.