Anaphothrips cocos, Mound, 2021

Mound, Laurence A., 2021, Anaphothrips cocos sp. n. (Thysanoptera, Thripinae) from coconuts in Timor Leste, Zootaxa 4938 (1), pp. 141-144 : 143

Anaphothrips cocos sp.n.

( Figs 1 ‒11)

Female macroptera. Body and all femora light brown, tarsi yellow, hind tibiae clear yellow, mid and fore tibiae yellow on apical third; antennal segments I‒II and V‒VI as brown as head, III yellow, IV variably shaded on apical half; fore wing brown with basal quarter white, clavus brown at base with apex pale; major setae on abdomen brown.

Antennae 8-segmented ( Fig. 4 ), sense cones forked on III and IV, III‒VI with many microtrichia, I without dorso-apical setae. Head with 3 pairs of ocellar setae ( Fig. 1 ), pair I arranged slightly asymmetrically, pair III within ocellar triangle on tangent between anterior margins of hind ocelli; eyes without pigmented facets; maxillary palps 3-segmented. Pronotum with no sculpture lines, 3 pairs of posteromarginal setae with pair IV slightly larger; ferna usually entire. Mesonotal campaniform sensilla present ( Fig. 2 ). Metascutum reticulate, median setal pair arising medially, paired campaniform sensilla wide apart on posterior third (absent in holotype). Metapre-episternum long, transverse and complete. Prospinosternum broadly transverse (Fig. 10). Mesothoracic sternopleural sutures complete, furca with spinula. Metathoracic furca with stout spinula (Fig. 10). Tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing first vein with 3 setae near the base, then a group of 4 setae, followed by a long gap to 2 setae near the apex; second vein with many setae; clavus with 5–8 marginal and one discal setae ( Fig. 2 ). Tergites without sculpture medially, without marginal craspeda or ctenidia; setal pair S1 minute, S3 as stout as S4 ( Fig. 3 ); VIII with posteromarginal comb of fine microtrichia on lateral thirds only ( Fig. 6 ); tergite IX with two pairs of campaniform sensilla, mid-dorsal setae placed laterally; tergite X with weak dorsal split. Sternites without craspeda, II with 2 pairs of marginal setae, III–VII with 3 pairs, median pair on VII arising on posterior margin.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1150. Head, length 100; width 135. Pronotum, length 110; width 160. Fore wing length 460. Tergites VII-X lengths, 60, 80, 45. Antennal segments III-VIII length 40, 35, 30, 45, 10, 12.

Male macroptera. Similar to female, including comb on tergite VIII, but antennal segment II paler; sternites III–VII with small circular pore plate medially ( Fig. 5 ); tergite IX with all setae slender (Fig. 11).

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 860. Fore wing length 410. Sternal pore plates diameter 10–12. Tergite IX median setae 25.

Larva II. Body yellow, tergites IX‒X brown ( Fig. 9 ). Dorsal and ventral surfaces covered with rows of small plaques, dorsal setae with pencil-pointed apices ( Figs7–9 ); pronotum and head with no sculpture; pronotal posteroangular setae (D6) less than 15 microns; tergite VIII spiracles with multiple pores ( Fig. 8 ), posteroangular setae (D3) about 15 microns long; tergite IX posterior margin finely dentate, major setae blunt. Sternal setae all finely pointed.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, Timor Leste , Buikaran Village , at base of nut of Cocos nucifera, 8‒9.ii.2005 (Mark Ritchie), in Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, Canberra.

Paratypes: 4 females, 4 males taken with holotype [also taken with these adults were 2 larvae II and one larva IV with long wing buds].

Comments. Since this species was found breeding on the nut of Cocos nucifera, a plant that is particularly widespread around the world, its origin and faunal relationships could be in any tropical country. Anaphothrips species live on Poaceae in many parts of the world, particularly in North America ( Nakahara 1995), whereas in Australia members of the genus are associated with a range of unrelated plants, often in semi-arid areas ( Mound & Masumoto 2009). Most of the nine available specimens have a pair of campaniform sensilla on the metascutum, but the holotype and one male lack these structures, and one female has only a single metascutal campaniform sensilla. In the key by Vierbergen et al. (2010) the second instar larvae track to a couplet that includes Anaphothrips obscurus , a widespread grass-living species, but abdominal segments IX and X are uniformly brown in the new species.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Anaphothrips cocos. (1) head & pronotum; (2) meso- metanotum & clavus; (3) tergites IV–VI; (4) antenna; (5) male sternites; (6) female tergites VIII‒X; (7) larva II abdominal tergite II spiracle; (8) larva II abdominal tergite VIII spiracle; (9) larva II tergites VII‒X; (10) female thoracic sternites; (11) male tergites VIII‒X.