Neohydatothrips portoricensis (Morgan)

Lima, Élison Fabrício B. & Mound, Laurence A., 2016, Species-richness in Neotropical Sericothripinae (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), Zootaxa 4162 (1), pp. 1-45 : 35-36

Neohydatothrips portoricensis (Morgan)

( Fig. 103 )

Sericothrips portoricensis Morgan, 1925: 3 .

Sericothrips latereostriatus John, 1929: 34 .

Sericothrips portoricensis extremus Moulton, 1941: 315 . Scirtothrips batatae Bondar, 1930: 19 .

Female macroptera. Colour: body bicoloured ( Fig. 103 ), head brown, pronotum brown with blotch dark, mesonotum and metanotum brown, tergites II–VII with antecostal ridge dark brown, II–V brown laterally, VI yellow with weak shading medially, VII–X brown; fore wing with clearly defined sub-basal pale band, but median pale band more diffuse, clavus shaded; antennal segments I–II pale, III–IV yellow with brown apex, V yellow at base; hind tibiae yellow, femora brown.

Structure: Occipital apodeme not quite confluent with posterior margin of eyes, ocellar area transversely striate; antennal segments III & IV with constricted apical neck; pronotum with transversely narrow reticulations or striations, with many internal markings, blotch more closely striate and bearing transverse row of setae on anterior margin; mesonotum and metanotum very closely striate; metasternal plate with shallow emargination; fore wing second vein with 2 setae distally; tergites VI–VIII with complete comb of microtrichia on posterior margin, III–V with minute teeth; tergite IX with 2 pairs of mid-dorsal setae; sternites without discal microtrichia medially.

Material Studied. Holotype female, PUERTO RICO, Rio Pedras , 25.iii.1920 ( USNM) . Holotype female of latereostriatus , BRAZIL, Espirito Santo State, Alfonso Claudio , ix.1928 ( BMNH) . Syntype female of batatae , BRAZIL, Bahia, from Ipomoea leaves ( IBSP) . COSTA RICA, San Pedro , 1 female, 24.ii.1991, La Selva , 1 female, 26.iv.1992, both from Ipomoea leaves (ANIC). BRAZIL, 30 females from various localities in Pará, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Santa Catarina States ( USNM) .

Comments. Described originally from Puerto Rico, the synonyms indicated above were established by Mound and Marullo (1996) for three species described from southern Brazil. This species is widespread in South America between Bermuda and Santa Catarina ( Brazil). Despite the frequency with which it has been collected, the range of host plants is not clear, although the species is commonly associated with Ipomoea leaves in Central America ( Mound & Marullo, 1996). It is a large dark species, with red internal pigment and, like N. fimbriatus , it has a fringe of small microtrichia medially on the posterior margins of tergites II–VI. The metanotal sculpture is linear and longitudinal, but has duplicate striae alongside the main sculptured striae. The pronotal sculpture is formed of narrow transverse reticulations, with many longitudinal markings in between the main striae.

Figures

FIGURES 92 – 103. Neohydatothrips species. (92) fimbriatus (male), (93) flavicollis (female), (94) gracilipes (female), (95) hemileucus (female), (96) hemileucus (male), (97) ikelus (female), (98) inversus (female), (99) inversus (male), (100) maculicollis (female), (101) maculicollis (male), (102) paraensis (female), (103) portoricensis (female).