Scirtothrips astibos, Hoddle, Mark S. & Mound, Laurence A., 2003

Hoddle, Mark S. & Mound, Laurence A., 2003, The genus Scirtothrips in Australia (Insecta, Thysanoptera, Thripidae), Zootaxa 268, pp. 1-40 : 12-13

Scirtothrips astibos sp. nov.

[ Fig. 21 ]

Female macroptera. Colour: brown; antecostal ridge on tergites III­VIII dark across full width of segments, on sternites III­VII strongly shaded; tergite IX darker brown; forewings uniformly shaded; antennal segment II darker than I, III – IV mainly yellow, V pale at base, VI – VIII uniformly dark. Compound eyes with 4 ventrolateral ommatidia pigmented.

Structure: Head with postocular and ocellar region closely transversely striate; ocellar setae III short, their bases further apart than their length, arising within triangle anterior to tangent joining anterior margins of posterior ocelli; three pairs of post­ocellar setae each at least as long as ocellar setae pair III. Pronotum with 8 anterior marginal setae, 15 discal setae; 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae, S2 slightly larger than S1 or S3; pronotal setae all slightly thick and blunt. Metanotum transversely striate anteriorly, longitudinally reticulate posteriorly; median pair of setae slightly posterior of margin. Forewing scale with 4 marginal setae; first vein setae 3­4+6­7+1+1+1+1; second vein 5 setae; posteromarginal fringe cilia straight. Tergites III­V with distance between bases of median setae two or three times the diameter of their basal pores; tergal microtrichial fields with 3 discal setae; VIII with discal microtrichia present anteromedially, posteromarginal comb complete; tergite IX with discal microtrichia on posterior half. Sternites with lateral microtrichial fields not extending mesad of S2 marginal setae.

Measurements of holotype female. Body length 1000. Head, length 135; width 70; p.o. S1 15. Pronotum, length 90; width 150; posteromarginal setae S1 10, S2 18. Forewing length 580. Antennal segments III – VI, 43, 35, 35, 43.

Holotype Female. Western Australia, Wittenoom, from Lechenaultia sp. flowers [ Goodeniaceae ], 24.ix.1995 (LAM 2821).

Comments. The setae on the head and pronotum of the single female from which this species is described are all curiously stout with the apices slightly blunt, rather similar to those of S. moneres , another species from Western Australia. Despite the body being brown in colour, antennal segments III and IV are noticeably pale. An Acacia species is more likely to be the host plant of this species than the Lechenaultia species from which the holotype was taken.

Figures

FIGURES 21 ­ 31. Scirtothrips pro­ meso­ and metanota. 21, astibos; 22, aurantii; 23, aurantii; 24, eremicus; 25, australiae; 26, dorsalis; 27, dorsalis; 28, aurantii; 29, quadriseta; 30, moneres; 31, dobroskyi.