Holopothrips reticulatus, 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 : 79-81

Holopothrips reticulatus sp. n.

( Figs 234–240 )

Diagnostic features. Body (except antenna) uniformly brown; head with maxillary stylets weakly V-shaped, postocular setae reduced, and minute tubercles on sculpture dorsolaterally; pronotum surface reticulate, with one pair of long setae on epimeral region; metanotal sculpture with longitudinally elongate reticles, with internal markings; sculpture on pelta weak to absent near posterior margin, with few internal markings; male with reticulate pore plates on sternites VI–VIII; female spermatheca not enlarged.

Macropterous female: Body ( Fig. 234 ) uniformly brown, with apical half of fore tibia lighter, all tarsi light yellow, tergite X slightly darker on basal area. Antennal segments I–II concolourous with head, II lighter on extreme apex, III–VI yellow, VII–VIII weakly shaded with light brown. Fore wings pale but shaded brown near base, without median dark line, clavus shaded; major body setae light brown.

Head ( Fig. 235 ) about 1.2 times as long as width behind eyes, dorsal surface with transverse lines of sculpture; cheeks straight to weakly curved, bearing several minute tubercles on sculpture dorsolaterally ( Fig. 236 ). Eyes large, slightly kidney-shaped, dorsal length about 0.5 of head length; po with acute to slightly capitate apex, about as long or shorter than the diameter of an ocellus. Maxillary stylets distantly parallel to weakly V-shaped, reaching po level, about half of head width apart. Mouth cone with rounded tip, not reaching ferna. Antennal segment III with 3 sense cones and IV with 3 sense cones + 1 additional smaller sense cone.

Pronotum ( Fig. 235 ) trapezoidal, with irregular reticulate sculpture covering its surface; epimeral sutures incomplete and short. Five major pairs of pronotal setae, one pair on epimeral region; all pairs well-developed and with capitate tips. Basantra apparently weakly indicated in some specimens; prosternal ferna well-developed, almost touching medially, anterior margins weakly produced. Mesonotum ( Fig. 237 ) with equiangular reticulation medially, elongated laterally; internal markings on sculpture present. Metanotum ( Fig. 237 ) with longitudinally elongated reticles, internal markings on sculpture present; one or two pairs of anterior discal setae and one pair of median major setae present. Fore tarsal hamus not enlarged. Fore wings with 5 to 8 duplicated cilia.

Pelta ( Fig. 240 ) triangular, anterior margin straight, no lateral wings but with weak projections near base; paired campaniform sensilla present. Sculpture covering the whole pelta but weaker posteriorly; almost equiangular to irregular reticles medially, elongated laterally, internal markings on sculpture present. Tergite II with reticulation restricted to lateral thirds, smooth medially; sculpture less defined on further tergites. Tergites II–VII with three pairs of wing retaining setae. Tergite IX setae S1 and S2 with slightly expanded apexes, S3 finely acute and shorter. Tube about 0.7 of head length and about 2.0–2.3 times as long as greatest width near base, apical width about 0.5 of basal width. Spermatheca ( Fig. 239 ) curled but not thickened or swollen medially.

Measurements (female holotype in microns): Length about 1995; head length 237, width behind eyes 200, po length 17, eye dorsal length 120; median length of pronotum 132, width across ep 250, am 22, aa 34, ml 39, ep 79, pa 30; width of mesonotum 275; fore wing length 800; tergite IX setae S1 122, S2 130, S3 95; tergite X length 185, basal width 77, apical width 40; length(width) of antennal segments III–VIII 71 (27), 62(27), 65(25), 57(25), 45(17), 22(10), respectively.

Macropterous male: Similar to female in both colouration and structure, but smaller. Pore plates ( Fig. 238 ) with reticulate texture and present on sternites VI–VIII: two anterolateral plates and two lateral plates posterior to discal setae on VI–VII, two anterolateral plates and one transverse band posterior to discal setae on VIII.

Measurements (male paratype in microns): Length about 1442; head length 200, width behind eyes 155, po length 15, eye dorsal length 95; median length of pronotum 97, width across ep 185, am 12, aa 25, ml 35, ep 55, pa 20; width of mesonotum 207; fore wing length 570; tergite IX setae S1 77, S2 97, S3 100; tergite X length 122, basal width 57, apical width 35; length(width) of antennal segments III–VIII 60 (22), 49(22), 55(22), 47(20), 42(17), 30(10), respectively.

Material studied. Holotype female, Brazil, Pará, Itaituba, in Myrciaria dubia, 14.x.2013 (Cavalleri, A.), at UFRGS. Slide code UFRGS 3622 .

Paratypes: 10 males and 19 females collected with holotype, at UFRGS . 1 male and 1 female collected with holotype, at ANIC .

Non-type specimens: 1 male and 1 female collected with holotype, at UFRGS.

Etymology. Species named after its remarkable reticulate sculpture present over the pronotal surface.

Comments. Holopothrips reticulatus bears unusually well-defined reticulation over the pronotum, which is usually weak or absent medially in Holopothrips species. This species shares some similarities with H. mariae , but differs in having three sense cones on antennal segments III–IV, fore wings pale with shaded basal area, pelta with internal markings on sculpture ( Fig. 240 ), and female spermatheca not enlarged ( Fig. 239 ). It also shares some character states with H. johanseni , but H. reticulatus differs in having a single pair of reduced postocular setae, metapleural sutures present, pelta sculpture with internal markings, and female spermatheca not enlarged.

Figures

FIGURES 234–240. Holopothrips reticulatus sp. nov. holotype and paratypes. (234) body; (235) head and pronotum; (236) detail of head, showing minute tubercles on sculpture (white arrows); (237) mesonotum and metanotum; (238) pore plates on abdominal sternites VI–VIII; (239) spermatheca, dislocated (white arrow); (240) pelta.