Hoplothrips orientalis (Ananthakrishnan)

(Figs 39, 52)

Carathrips orientalis Ananthakrishnan, 1969: 179 .

Female macroptera. Body, femora and antennae dark brown with basal half of antennal segment III yellow; mid and hind tibiae yellowish brown at base; tarsi yellow; fore wings shaded, darker toward apex; major setae pale. Head sculptured dorsally; postocular setae long, acute; maxillary stylets retracted to compound eyes and close together medially. Antennal segments III–VII each with a distinct pedicel, sense cones on segment III long, acute, the inner one curved (Fig. 39), 3 on III, 4 on IV; VIII with pedicel sometimes indistinct. Three pairs of pronotal major setae long, acute, but aa short and am minute. Mesopresternum transverse, often eroded medially; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present. Fore tarsal tooth present. Fore wings with 7–13 duplicated cilia. Pelta usually bellshaped, recessed into concave anterior margin of tergite II; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae (Fig. 52); tergite IX posteromarginal setae bluntly acute, more than half as long as tube.

Female microptera. Antennal sense cones smaller, less acute, inner sense cone on III not curved; wing lobe with 1 or 2 pairs of acute setae; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of curved wing-retaining setae. Male microptera. Similar to female but sternite VIII with a transverse pore plate extending posterolaterally of spiracles; sternites III–VII with areas of complex sculpture laterally; tergite IX posteromarginal setae S2 short, stout. Large males with fore tarsal tooth larger; fore femora swollen; pronotum elongate, major setae longer; a few largest males with head ventrally bearing a horn-like tubercle between interocular setae.

Specimens studied. [micropterae except where stated] Queensland, Glasshouse Mts, 1 male from dead wood, 4.ix.2012; Atherton, 1 female from dead branch, 1.viii.2004 ; Brisbane, Mt Glorious, 1 male from rotting branch, 9.iii.2006 . Australian Capital Territory, Oakey Hill, 2 females from Eucalyptus blakeleyi dead twigs, 21.iv.2011 ; Black Mountain, 1 female macroptera, 9 females, 10 males from Acacia dead branch, 30.iv.2011 . New South Wales, Windellama, 1 female, 1 male from dead branches, 4.vi.2011 . Lord Howe Island, 1 male macroptera; 4 females, 5 males with larvae from old dead branches, 24.xi.1996 ; 2 male macropterae from dead branches, 26.xii.2001; 15 female macropterae, 10 males, 1 female from dead twigs, 25.xii.2011. Norfolk Island, 5 female and 5 male macropterae; 7 female mic. from dead twigs, xii.2012; 6 females, 1 male from dead branch, 30.xi.2014. Tasmania, Buckland, 1 male from dead branch, 27.xi.2010 . New Zealand, Coromandel Peninsula, 1 male from rotten branch, 13.ii.1979 . New Caledonia, La Foa, 3 female macropterae, 3 females, 1 male from dead wood, 1-3.iv.2012 .

Comments. This is a typical member the H. fungi complex, and is closely related to H. fungi, H. karnyi and H. japonicus . It is distinguished only because antennal segments IV–VI are uniformly brown rather than pale at the base (Mound 2017). Described originally from India in association with twigs of Rubus infested by rust fungus, this species was subsequently recorded from New Zealand (Mound & Walker, 1986), Lord Howe Island (Mound 1998), Norfolk Island (Mound & Wells 2015), and Japan, Ryukyu Islands (Okajima, 2006). The records given above indicate that this species is widespread in eastern Australia.