Haplothrips bellisi, 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 : 2947-2948

Haplothrips bellisi sp. nov.

Female macroptera. Body colour light brown to brown, all tarsi and apices of fore tibiae yellow, antennal segment III brownish yellow, IV light brown, major setae and fore wing pale. Head as broad as long, maxillary stylets wide apart, almost V-shaped, not retracted to postocular setae, maxillary bridge incomplete medially; postocular setae capitate, extending beyond posterior margin of compound eyes. Antennal segments III–IV relatively short with sensoria well-developed, one on III and two on IV; segment VII broad at base. Pronotal am setae no larger than discal setae (Figure 33), four pairs of major setae capitate. Mesonotal lateral setae minute. Metanotal median setae arise on posterior half of sclerite, with 4–10 small discal setae on anterior half. Mesopresternum usually fully divided into two triangles. Fore femur with external apical margin slightly thickened; fore tarsal tooth small, acute, arising at inner apex of tarsus. Fore wing with two to five duplicated cilia, sub-basal setae S1 and S2 capitate, S3 longer and acute. Tergites II–III with only one or two discal setae lateral to wing-retaining setae; posteromarginal setae S1 broadly capitate on tergites II–VII, but weakly capitate on VIII–IX; S2 on IX blunt.

Measurements of holotype female (in M m). Body length 1600. Head, length 145; median width 150; postocular setae 20. Pronotum, length 120; width 240; major setae am 7, aa 10, ml 10, epim 30, pa 26. Fore wing length 620; sub-basal setae 18, 16, 54. Tergite IX setae S1 52, S2 52, S3 50. Tube length 95; basal width 50; anal setae 125. Antennal segments III–VIII length 40, 36, 40, 34, 32, 18.

Male macroptera. Similar to female except fore tarsal tooth massive in large male; tergite IX setae S1 capitate, S2 stout; apex of pseudovirga broad and weakly sclerotised.

Measurements of paratype female (in M m). Body length 1520. Head, length 155; median width 150; postocular setae 30. Pronotum, length 165; width 265; major setae am 3, aa 22, ml 18, epim 30, pa 34. Fore wing length 600; sub-basal setae 18, 24, 48. Tergite IX setae S1 60, S2 35, S3 90. Tube length 105; basal width 45; anal setae 125. Antennal segments III–VIII length 44, 44, 44, 38, 32, 24.

Material examined

Holotype ♀ macroptera: Northern Territory, Humpty Doo , from grasses, 15 May 1999 (LAM 3713) . Paratypes: 3♀, 2 „ collected with holotype; 3♀, 2 „ from grasses, Kakadu, 11 May 1999 ; 1♀ from grass, Melville Is., 14 May 1999; 4♀, 4 „ from grasses, Darwin, 24 March 2003.

Comments

This is one of two new species described here, in addition to the widespread H. froggatti , in which the anterior area of the metanotum bears several minor setae. H. bellisi also resembles H. froggatti in having antennal segment VII broad at the base, not pedicellate. However, the external apical margin of the fore femora is slightly recurved, particularly in males, much as in species of the Ethiopian genus Chiraplothrips . Similar fore femora are also known in the unrelated species of the Thripidae genera, Chirothrips Haliday and Arorathrips Bhatti as well as in the Aeolothripidae species, Desmothrips chirus Mound and Marullo (1998) , and it is probably significant that all of these thrips live in grass flowers.