Haplothrips fici, Mound & Minaei, 2007

Mound, Laurence A. & Minaei, Kambiz, 2007, Australian thrips of the Haplothrips lineage (Insecta: Thysanoptera), Journal of Natural History 41 (45 - 48), pp. 2919-2978 : 2952-2953

Haplothrips fici sp. nov.

Female macroptera. Body colour brown, tarsi and tibiae yellow, femora yellow washed with brown on external margins; antennal segments III–V largely yellow, VI brownish yellow, VII–VIII brown (Figure 22); major setae and fore wing pale. Head longer than wide, maxillary stylets more than one-third of head width apart, maxillary bridge complete; postocular setae long and capitate, arising close to posterior margin of compound eyes. Antennal segment III with two sensoria or with only one (inner sensorium reduced or absent), IV with three sensoria; segment VIII broad at base. Pronotum with five pairs of long broadly capitate setae. Mesonotal lateral setae capitate. Metanotum with longitudinal lines of sculpture on posterior half, median setae arise on anterior half of sclerite. Mesopresternum boat-shaped. Fore tarsal tooth well developed. Fore wing with three to five duplicated cilia, sub-basal setae capitate. Tergite II with sculpture but no discal setae lateral to wing-retaining setae ( Figure 39 ); tergites II–VIII with posteromarginal setae S1 long and capitate; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 long and capitate ( Figure 40 ).

Measurements of holotype female (in M m). Body length 1500. Head, length 160; median width 120; postocular setae 16. Pronotum, length 110; width 220; major setae am 20, aa 14, ml 22, epim 40, pa 36. Fore wing length 520; sub-basal setae 28, 30, 48. Tergite IX setae S1 50, S2 60, S3 70. Tube length 100; basal width 50; anal setae 110. Antennal segments III–VIII length 34, 36, 38, 38, 36, 24.

Male macroptera. Similar to female; fore femora and fore tarsal tooth sometimes large; tergite IX setae S2 short and pointed.

Measurements of paratype female (in M m). Body length 1400. Head, length 140; median width 125; postocular setae 30. Pronotum, length 120; width 235; major setae am 26, aa 22, ml 28, epim 42, pa 40. Fore wing length 550; sub-basal setae 34, 38, 62. Tergite IX setae S1 65, S2 25, S3 110. Tube length 100; basal width 45; anal setae 120. Antennal segments III–VIII length 38, 40, 36, 34, 32, 22.

Material examined

Holotype ♀ macroptera: Western Australia, Lake Argyle , from Ficus opposita leaves, 25 February 2005 (LAM 4612) . Paratypes: 17♀, 14 „ taken with holotype; Kununurra, Packsaddle, 2♀, 1 „ and larvae from Ficus opposita leaves, 22 February 2005; Northern Territory, Bathurst Island , 1♀ from Ficus opposita leaves, 14 May 1999.

Comments

This species is remarkable, both for its antennal sensorium formula and for the capitate setae on the ninth abdominal segment. The variation in number of sensoria on the third antennal segment is particularly curious, because such variation is usually accompanied by variation in size of the affected sensoria. But in the available specimens of this species the sensorium on the inner apex of the third segment is either well developed and equal in size to the outer sensorium, or entirely absent. All of the specimens from Lake Argyle have only one sensorium present on both antennae, and this is also true of one of the females from Kununurra, but the other two female paratypes and one male paratype have two large sensoria on the third segment of both antennae. At two localities this thrips was taken from leaves in association with Ascirtothrips arafura Mound , on whose larvae it was possibly feeding. The larvae of H. fici are predominantly yellow, although the pupae have a little red pigment .

Haplothrips froggatti Hood

Haplothrips froggatti Hood 1918, p 130 .

This species has been referred to as ‘‘the black plague thrips’’, because it sometimes occurs in such vast numbers across Central Australia. It is distinguished from all but two other members of the genus in Australia by the presence of extra setae on the anterior half of the metanotum ( Figure 42 ), also by the unusually short and dark third antennal segment (Figure 23). It is a grass-living species and, although widespread across Australia, it is associated primarily with the arid areas. No specimens have been studied from Tasmania, Victoria , southern South Australia, or southern Western Australia. Similarly no specimens have been seen from the moist areas of north-eastern Queensland nor from Darwin, although it is common around Kununurra in the north of Western Australia .

Recognition

Body and legs dark brown, fore tarsi and base of antennal segments III and IV lighter. Maxillary stylets more than one-third of head width apart; antennal segment III short with one sensorium, IV with four. Pronotum with five pairs of capitate setae; mesopresternum transverse. Fore tarsal tooth absent in female, usually small in male. Metanotum with several pairs of minor setae on anterior half; fore wing with sub-basal setae all capitate, 7– 13 duplicated cilia present. Tergite IX S1 long and weakly capitate, S2 acute. Male pseudovirga with apex slender and bearing distinctive apical lobes.

Measurements of one female (in M m) (Queensland, Birdsville, April 1998). Body length 2050. Head, length 195; median width 180; postocular setae 40. Pronotum, length 140; width 265; major setae am 32, aa 24, ml 24, epim 52, pa 48. Fore wing length 840; sub-basal setae 46, 40, 68. Tergite IX setae S1 90, S2 125, S3 100. Tube length 130; basal width 65; anal setae 180. Antennal segments III–VIII length 42, 48, 44, 44, 36, 26.

Figures

Figures 38–47. (38) Haplothrips driesseni, pelta. (39) H. fici, pelta. (40) H. fici, tergites IX and X. (41) H. gahniae, head and pronotum. (42) H. froggatti, meso and metanota. (43) H. gahniae, pelta. (44) H. dicksoniae, head and pronotum. (45) H. driesseni, head and pronotum. (46) H. gomphrenae, male, head and pronotum. (47) H. gomphrenae, pelta.