Jacotia rhodorcha

Mound, Laurence A. & Minaei, Kambiz, 2006, New fungus­feeding thrips (Thysanoptera Phlaeothripinae) from tropical Australia, Zootaxa 1150, pp. 1-17 : 11-13

Jacotia rhodorcha sp.n

( Figs 15–17 )

Female aptera. Body colour yellowish white with three longitudinal red stripes of internal pigment; tergite IX, posterior half of VIII and basal half of tube sharply dark brown ( Fig. 17 ), head with frontal carina brown; antennal segments I, II and IV light brown, III mainly yellow but with brown mark at base, VI often yellow in basal half, VII and VIII brown. Head longer than wide, eyes longer dorsally than ventrally ( Fig. 15 ); vertex with reticulate sculpture and markings within each reticle; postocular setae not developed; mouth cone rounded. Antennae 8­segmented ( Fig. 16 ), VI–VIII broadly joined, III with basal stem slender but no sense cones, IV with 2 sense cones. Pronotum weakly reticulate, notopleural sutures weak, notopleural setae scarcely 10 microns long. Prosternal basantra absent; ferna transversely pointed; mesopraesternum (?spinasternum) transverse, separated from mesoeusternum with one pair of setae medially and another pair laterally; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Meso and metanota with complex but weak sculpture. Pelta rectangular with margins rounded ( Fig. 15 ); tergites with complex but weak sculpture, all setae minute on tergites II–VII; posteroangular setae on tergite VIII about 10 microns long; IX with marginal setae blunt. Sternites with transverse row of small discal setae, median marginal setae long.

Measurements. Holotype female in microns. Body length 1750. Head, length 250; maximum width 165. Pronotum, length 120; median width 170; notopleural setae 10. Tergite IX setae S1 15; S2 25; S3 10. Tube length 110. Antennal segments III–VIII length 50, 40, 40, 50, 20, 25.

Male aptera. Very similar to female in colour and structure, but smaller. Body length 1300 microns.

Material studied

Holotype female. Western Australia, Barrow Island, taken amongst Triodia angusta grassland with vaccum sampler, April/May, 2005, Jonathan Majer. Paratypes: 21Ψ 8ɗ taken by vacuum sampler at same or nearby site as holotype.

Comments

According to the key to the four previously described species ( Mound, 1995b), this new species shares the following two character states with J. elegiae Faure , the South African type­species of the genus: major setae on head, thorax and abdomen exceptionally short; body sculpture weakly defined but complex. The following characters states distinguish this species from J. elegiae : tube sharply bicoloured not brown ( Fig. 17 ); base of the third antennal segment slender not expanded ( Fig. 16 ). The most striking feature of this new species is the three longitudinal red stripes running the full length of the white body in adults and larvae.

Figures

FIGURES 15 – 23. Jacotia, Stomothrips and Streptothrips species. (15) J. rhodorcha head and thorax; (16) J. rhodorcha antenna; (17) J. rhodorcha female; (18) Sto. mouldeni, dorsal; (19) Sto. mouldeni, ventral; (20) Str. tribulatius female aptera; (21) Str. tribulatius tergites VIII – X; (22) Str. tribulatius female aptera mesonotum and metanotum; (23) Str. tribulatius female macroptera antenna.