Hoplothrips lihongae, Mound & Wang & Tree, 2020

Mound, Laurence A., Wang, Jun & Tree, Desley J., 2020, The genus Hoplothrips in Australia (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae), with eleven new species, Zootaxa 4718 (3), pp. 301-323 : 308

Hoplothrips lihongae sp. n.

( Figs 9 , 25 , 34 , 58 )

Female macroptera. Body light brown with head and sides of pterothorax darker, tube yellowish, tergites III–VII each with darker area anteromedially; legs and tarsi mainly yellow; antennae light brown, segments II and III mainly yellow and bases of IV–VI pale ( Fig. 34 ). Head with weak sculpture posterolaterally; genae narrowed to base; dorsal length of compound eyes about half of head length; postocular setae pointed, arising laterally and almost as long as dorsal eye length ( Fig. 9 ). Antennal segment III with 3 sense cones, IV with 4 sense cones, IV–VII each with pedicel, VIII slender and narrowed at base ( Fig. 34 ). Pronotum without sculpture; setae pointed, aa small, am minute ( Fig. 9 ). Mesonotum with transverse polygonal sculpture anteriorly, lateral setae minute; metanotum without sculpture medially, median setae small and acute. Prosternal basantra absent, mesopresternum eroded to slender sclerite, mesoeusternal anterior margin entire ( Fig. 25 ). Fore tarsal tooth pointed, longer than half of tarsal width. Fore wing with two small sub-basal setae, 12–14 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular with small lobes; tergites II–VII each with only one pair of wing-retaining setae; tergite VIII median setae pointed; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 finely pointed; anal setae shorter than tube.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 3060. Head, length 243; width 222; postocular setae 72, distance between their bases 220; postocellar setae 15, distance between their bases 52. Pronotum, length 205; median width 347; major setae am 15, aa 30, ml 75, epim 68, pa 100. Mesonotum lateral setae 8; metanotum median setae 30. Tergite IV median marginal setae 75, VIII median setae 16, IX setae S1 162, S2 178. Tube length 197. Anal setae 163. Antennal segments III–VIII length (width) 90 (45), 83 (45), 77 (40), 75 (35), 63 (28), 63 (17); longest sense cone on III 25. Fore wing length 128, sub-basal setae S1 48, S2 60.

Female microptera. Similar to macropterous female, compound eyes smaller, ocelli absent, antennal segments III and IV each with 2 small sense cones; wing-retaining setae not developed.

Measurements (in microns). Body length 3220. Head, length 233; width 243; postocular setae 98; fore wing lobe 70; longest sense cone on antennal segment III 12.

Male microptera. Similar to micropterous female but smaller; large male with fore femora swollen, fore tarsal tooth massive; tergite IX S2 setae short and stout; sternite VIII transverse pore plate about one third of sternite width; sternites VI–VIII with specialised reticulate areas laterally ( Fig. 58 ).

Measurements (in microns). Body length 2810. Head, length 213; width 225; postocular setae 75. Pronotum, length 275; median width 375; major setae am 10, aa 37, ml 130, epim 100, pa 113. Tergite VIII median setae 40, IX setae S1 137, S2 42. Tube length 176, anal setae 170. Antennal segments III–VIII length 75, 65, 65, 63, 56, 58.

Specimens studied. Holotype female macroptera. South Australia, Desert Camp Park , 50 km South of Keith, from Eucalyptus nuts, 14.iii.2011 ( LAM 5482 ) in ANIC.

Paratypes: 1 female macroptera, 2 female micropterae, 3 males, same data as holotype .

Comments. In all of the available specimens the maxillary stylets have been disrupted during slide mounting. However, they are clearly very long, and are probably retracted to the postocular setae in life. The micropterae of H. lihongae differ from those of H. corticis and H. orientalis in having only two small cones on the third and fourth antennal segments. The macropterae have three sense cones on segment III and four on IV, as in the other two species, but have much shorter pronotal setae apart from the posteroangulars.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Hoplothrips species—head and pronotum. (1) bellingeni female; (2) bellingeni male; (3) corticis; (4) fungosus female aptera; (5) fungosus female macroptera; (6) fungosus male aptera; (7) giganteus; (8) lamingtoni; (9) lihongae.

FIGURES 21–30. Hoplothrips species. Head 21–22 (21) wrightae female; (22) wrightae male. Prosternum 23–30 (23) bellingeni; (24) fungosus; (25) lihongae; (26) lowdeni male; (27) tarsus; (28) wrightae; (29) reedi; (30) woodsi (B–basantra; F–ferna; M–mesoeusternum anterior margin).

FIGURES 31–45. Hoplothrips species antennae. (31) bellingeni; (32) corticis (III–V); (33) giganteus; (34) lihongae; (35) lowdeni; (36) nelsoni; (37) oakeyi; (38) wrightae; (39) orientalis (III–V); (40) poultoni; (41) reedi; (42) semicaecus female macroptera; (43) semicaecus female microptera; (44) semicaecus male microptera; (45) woodsi.

FIGURES 53–66. Hoplothrips species. Metanotum & pelta 53–54 (53) oudeus; (54) woodsi. (55) tarsus pelta. (56) lamingtoni tergite II. Male sternite VIII pore plate 57–64 (57) corticis; (58) lihongae; (59) wrightae; (60) oakeyi; (61) reedi; (62) melanurus (VII–VIII); (63) poultoni; (64) woodsi. Male sternites 65–66 (65) giganteus (VII); (66) melanurus (V–VI).