Leeuwenia Karny, 1912

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 : 440

Leeuwenia Karny

Leeuwenia Karny, 1912: 161 . Type species Leeuwenia gladiatrix Karny.

The only thorough diagnosis of this genus was provided by Okajima (2006). However, that diagnosis must now be interpreted in the light of the structural diversity among the included species that is indicated below. In particular, the presence of prosternal basantra is remarkable, not just for any members of this genus but for most members of the Liothrips -lineage ( Mound & Marullo 1996). Members of the genus Leeuwenia are found widely in the tropical forests of Asia and Australia, with the most Western species being from Mauritius ( Mound 2004). The galls known to be induced by these species range from irregularly distorted leaves ( Fig. 4 ) to neatly rolled and even brightly coloured structures ( Fig. 6 ). Host records are not available for many of the 30 species now listed in the genus, but 11 Leeuwenia species are recorded from trees in the family Myrtaceae , including two of the new species described below. In contrast, seven described Leeuwenia species are associated each with a tree in a different plant family ( Mound 2004), including four of the species known only from Australia ( L. diospyrae — Ebenaceae ; L. polyosmae — Grossulariaceae ; L. scolopiae — Flacourtiaceae ; L. tetrastigmae — Vitaceae ).

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.