Leeuwenia irukandji, Mound & Tree, 2021

Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2021, Structural variation among species of Leeuwenia (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) with three new species from Australia, Zootaxa 4903 (3), pp. 439-447 : 445

Leeuwenia irukandji sp.n.

[ Figs 3 , 8, 14 , 18, 19 ]

Female macroptera. Body light brown with yellow longitudinal stripe medially between compound eyes ( Figs 3 , 8 ); tarsi yellow, but all coxae also mid and hind femora and tibiae brown, fore tibiae and most of fore femora yellow; fore wings pale, shaded at base and with weak median longitudinal darker stripe; antennal segments I‒II brown, III‒VIII yellow. Head with genae convex, constricted behind large compound eyes ( Fig. 8 ); vertex with numerous small tubercles; postocular setae not distinguished from minor setae, post ocellar setae small; maxillary stylets less than one third of head width apart, retracted to postocular region ( Fig. 8 ). Antennal segment III less than 3.0 times as long as maximum width; III with one sense cone, IV with two, these sense cones distinctly longer than apical width of their segment. Pronotum reticulate, posterior fifth with transverse band of minute tubercles ( Fig. 8 ); setae am, ml and pa not distinguished from discal setae, aa and epim broadly capitate; notopleural sutures not complete. Mesonotal lateral setae minute. Metanotum reticulate, reticles with internal markings, with one pair of pointed setae medially. Prosternal basantra weakly developed, ferna transverse and complete medially ( Fig. 19 ), mesopresternum complete; sternopleural sutures not present, meta-epimera swollen. Fore tarsi without tooth. Pelta rectangular, longer than wide with lateral margins slightly constricted ( Fig. 18 ); tergites II‒VII each with two pairs of broadly flattened wing-retaining setae ( Fig. 14 ); tergite IX setae S1 and S2 short and blunt to weakly capitate; tube at least 12 times as long as basal width.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2500. Head, length 250; width across genae 200; postocular setae 10. Pronotum, length 135; width 250; major setae am 10, aa 25, ml 10, epim 45, pa 10. Fore wing length 800; sub-basal setae S1‒ S3 10, 10, 20. Tergite IX setae S1 25, S2 70. Tube 760. Antennal segments III‒VIII length, 60, 50, 55, 50, 45, 35.

Male macroptera. Closely similar to female but smaller; tergite IX setae S2 shorter than S1; sternite VIII fully occupied by pore plate.

Material studied. Holotype female, Australia, Queensland, Cairns, Stoney Creek Road [16°52’S; 145°40’E], from Syzygium tierneyanum leaves, 6.xi.2008 ( LAM 5202 ).

Paratypes: 2 females, 6 males collected with holotype ; 2 females, 1 male, same locality and tree, 4.x.2012 .

Comments. This species is structurally very similar to L. cameroni , and it lives on the leaves of a tree in the same genus, Syzygium . The two species are strikingly different in colour ( Figs 2, 3 ), but also differ in head shape and the character states indicated in the key above. The name refers to the language of the original people of northern Queensland.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Leeuwenia species. Females 1–3: (1) aliceae sp.n.; (2) cameroni sp.n.; (3) irukandji sp.n. Leaf galls 4–6: (4) colony of scolopiae; (5) colony of tetrastigmae with Teuchothrips sp. inquiline; (6) polyosmae gall.

FIGURES 7–14. Leeuwenia species. Head & pronotum 7–8: (7) cameroni sp. n. (8) irukandji sp.n. L. aliceae sp.n. 9–12: (9) head; (10) pronotum; (11) metanotum, pelta and tergite II; (12) tube. Tergites III–IV 13-14: (13) cameroni sp. n.; (14) irukandji sp. n.

FIGURES 15–21. Leeuwenia species. Antennal segments III–VIII 15–16: (15) aliceae sp. n.; (16) cameroni sp. n. Metanotum & pelta 17–18: (17) cameroni sp. n.; (18) irukandji sp. n. Prosternites 19–20: (19) irukandji sp. n.; (20) scolopiae. (21) scolopiae metanotum, pelta and tergite II.