Holopothrips singularis, Lindner & Ferrari & Mound & Cavalleri, 2018

Lindner, Mariana F., Ferrari, Augusto, Mound, Laurence A. & Cavalleri, Adriano, 2018, Holopothrips diversity-a Neotropical genus of gall-inducing insects (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae), Zootaxa 4494 (1), pp. 1-99 : 82-84

Holopothrips singularis sp. n.

( Figs 241–247 )

Diagnostic features. Body (except antenna) uniformly brown, fore wings shaded brown; head with maxillary stylets parallel, minute tubercles on sculpture dorsolaterally, and po setae absent; one pair of long setae on epimeral region; metanotal sculpture with longitudinally elongate reticles, with weak internal markings; sculpture on pelta weak to absent near posterior margin; male with reticulate pore plates on sternites V–VIII; female spermatheca not enlarged.

Macropterous male: Body ( Fig. 241 ) uniformly brown, with fore tibia, apical third of mid and hind tibiae and all tarsi yellow, tergite X light brown, lighter on apex. Antennal segments I–II concolourous with head, II lighter on extreme apex, III–VI clear yellow, VII–VIII yellow slightly shaded light brown. Fore wings shaded but lighter on tip, median dark line faintly indicated, clavus shaded; major body setae light brown.

Head ( Fig. 242 ) length subequal to width behind eyes, dorsal surface with clear reticulation; cheeks curved, bearing several minute tubercles on sculpture dorsolaterally. Eyes large, slightly kidney-shaped, dorsal length about 0.5 of head length; major po setae absent, but some small discal setae are present posterior to eyes. Maxillary stylets parallel, reaching posterior margin of eyes and about a third of head width apart. Mouth cone ( Fig. 243 ) with rounded tip, close to but not reaching ferna. Antennal segment III with 3 sense cones and IV with 3 sense cones + 1 additional small sense cone.

Pronotum ( Fig. 242 ) rectangular, clear irregularly reticulate sculpture on its surface; epimeral sutures incomplete and short. Five major pairs of pronotal setae, one pair on epimeral region; am reduced and with acute to blunt tip, aa, ml, ep and pa well-developed and with capitate tips. Basantra ( Fig. 243 ) weakly indicated; prosternal ferna well-developed, close medially but not touching; a chitinous islet seen above ferna in one specimen, absent in the others. Mesonotum ( Fig. 247 ) with equiangular reticulation; faint internal markings on sculpture present. Metanotum ( Fig. 247 ) with longitudinally elongated reticles, internal markings on sculpture present on lateral reticles; two or three pairs of anterior discal setae and one pair of median major setae present. Fore tarsal hamus not enlarged. Fore wings with 6 to 8 duplicated cilia.

Pelta ( Fig. 244 ) triangular, anterior margin straight, with weak lateral wings; paired campaniform sensilla present. Sculpture present medially but weaker or absent posteriorly and near margins; slightly elongated reticles medially, longer irregular reticles laterally, internal markings on sculpture observed in one specimen, but absent in others. Tergite II with irregular reticles on lateral thirds, sculpture weaker or absent medially; sculpture less defined on further tergites. Tergites II–VII with three pairs of wing retaining setae. Tergite IX setae S1 with blunt to slightly capitate apex, S2 and S3 acute. Tube about 0.7–0.85 of head length and about 2.3 times as long as greatest width near base, apical width about 0.5 of basal width. Sternites V–VIII ( Fig. 246 ) with pore plates with reticulate texture: V–VII with two anterolateral plates and two lateral plates posterior to discal setae, VIII with two anterolateral plates and a transverse band posterior to discal setae.

Measurements (male holotype in microns): Length about 1718; head length 197, width behind eyes 187, eye dorsal length 100; median length of pronotum 102, width across ep 235, am 14, aa 22, ml 25, ep 57, pa 35; width of mesonotum 245; fore wing length 690; tergite IX setae S1 65, S2 100, S3 85; tergite X length 145, basal width 62, apical width 35; length(width) of antennal segments III–VIII 60 (25), 52(25), 55(25), 50(20), 42(17), 30(9), respectively.

Macropterous female: Similar to male in colour and structure, but slightly larger; spermatheca ( Fig. 245 ) curled, slightly thickened medially but not swollen.

Measurements (female paratype in microns): Length about 1916; head length 200, width behind eyes 220, eye dorsal length 110; median length of pronotum 114, width across ep 255, am 16, aa 37, ml 25, ep 72, pa 35; width of mesonotum 285; fore wing length 800; tergite IX setae S1 77, S2 135, S3 100; tergite X length 170, basal width 75, apical width 40; length(width) of antennal segments III–VIII 67 (27), 55(27), 60(30), 55(24), 47(20), 30(10), respectively.

Material studied. Holotype male, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Paraty, Trindade beach, in a gall of an unidentified Myrtaceae , 29.xii.2010 (Cavalleri, A.), at UFRGS. Slide code UFRGS 1200 .

Paratypes: 1 male, 1 female collected with holotype, at UFRGS.

Etymology. Species named after its unique combination of characters, which makes it easy to recognize among other Holopothrips species.

Comments. This is a highly distinctive species with several remarkable traits, such as the head clearly reticulate with minute tubercles on the dorsolateral sculpture ( Fig. 242 ), absence of defined postocular setae, and male pore plates present on sternites V–VIII ( Fig. 246 ). Some of these traits are shared with H. reticulatus , which is distinguished from H. singularis by having the head reticulation longitudinally elongate and no male pore plates on sternite V.

Figures

FIGURES 241–247. Holopothrips singularis sp. nov. holotype and paratypes. (241) body; (242) head and pronotum; (243) prosternum, showing vestigial labial palps (white arrows); (244) pelta; (245) spermatheca, dislocated (white arrow); (246) pore plates on abdominal sternites V–VIII; (247) mesonotum and metanotum.