Holopothrips atlanticus, 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 : 20-23

Holopothrips atlanticus sp. n.

( Figs 26–31 )

Diagnostic features. Body (except antenna) uniformly dark brown; maxillary stylets V-shaped; two pairs of long setae on epimeral region; metanotal sculpture longitudinally striate; males with three pore plates on sternite VIII only; female spermatheca not enlarged.

Macropterous male: Body ( Fig. 26 ) uniformly dark brown, all tarsi a lighter shade of brown, tergite X almost black, with apex lighter. Antennal segment I concolourous with head, II dark brown basally and yellow on apex, III–V yellow, with V slightly shaded light brown on apical half, VI yellow on basal half and shaded light brown on apical half, VII brown with basal fourth yellow, VIII brown. Fore wings pale but lightly shaded brown near base, without median dark line, clavus shaded; major body setae dark brown.

Head ( Fig. 27 ) about 1.4 times as long as width behind eyes, dorsal surface with transverse lines of sculpture; cheeks straight to very slightly curved, with short and stout lateral setae, few minute tubercles sometimes present on dorsal sculpture near posterior margin of eyes. Eyes large, dorsal length about 0.4 of head length; po with blunt apex, subequal or longer than dorsal length of the eye. Maxillary stylets V-shaped, reaching close to po level and about half of head width apart. Mouth cone with pointed tip, reaching ferna. Antennal segment III with 3 sense cones and IV with 3 sense cones + 1 additional small sense cone.

Pronotum ( Fig. 27 ) trapezoidal, few transverse lines of sculpture near posterior margin, very faint lines of sculpture indicated elsewhere; epimeral sutures usually incomplete, but complete in some specimens. Six pairs of well-developed pronotal setae, two pairs on epimera; all pairs with blunt to weakly expanded tips. Basantra faintly indicated; prosternal ferna well-developed, almost or touching medially. Mesonotum with small irregular reticles medially, elongate reticles or transverse lines laterally and anteriorly; internal markings on sculpture absent. Metanotum ( Fig. 29 ) with longitudinal lines forming a striate pattern, bearing faint internal markings; one pair of anterior discal setae and one pair of median major setae present. Fore tarsal hamus not enlarged. Fore wings with 15 to 22 duplicated cilia.

Pelta ( Fig. 28 ) triangular, anterior margin acute ending in a straight tip, no lateral wings; one pair of campaniform sensilla present. Sculpture covering the whole pelta; with longitudinally elongated and narrow reticles, exhibiting internal markings medially, wider irregular reticles laterally. Tergite II with irregular reticles medially, elongate laterally and posteriorly; sculpture less defined on further tergites. Tergites II–VII with three pairs of wing retaining setae. Tergite IX setae S1, S2 and S3 with acute apexes. Tube about 0.7–0.9 of head length and about 2.3–2.6 times as long as greatest width near base, apical width about 0.5 of basal width. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 31 ) with two anteroangular pore plates and one transverse band posterior to discal setae, with reticulate texture.

Measurements (male holotype in microns): Length about 2488; head length 300, width behind eyes 205, po length 107, eye dorsal length 117; median length of pronotum 140, width across ep 272, am 19, aa 27, ml 62, ep 100, pa 82; width of mesonotum 292; fore wing length 1020; tergite IX setae S1 227, S2 240, S3 237; tergite X length 221, basal width 95, apical width 47; length(width) of antennal segments III–VIII 77 (35), 70(36), 70(32), 65(25), 62(22), 37(12), respectively.

Macropterous female: Similar to male in both colouration and structure, but slightly larger; spermatheca ( Fig. 30 ) S-shaped but not swollen or thickened.

Measurements (female paratype in microns): Length about 2962; head length 341, width behind eyes 240, po length 137, eye dorsal length 125; median length of pronotum 157, width across ep 332, am 51, aa 17, ml 100, ep 150, pa 112; width of mesonotum 362; fore wing length 1270; tergite IX setae S1 275, S2 325, S3 265; tergite X length 305, basal width 117, apical width 55; length(width) of antennal segments III–VIII 95 (44), 85(42), 85(37), 77(30), 70(24), 45(12), respectively.

Material studied. Holotype male, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Paraty, in Myrcia brasiliensis gall, 29.xii.2010 (Cavalleri, A.), at UFRGS . Slide code UFRGS 0 975 .

Paratypes: 2 males, 1 female collected with holotype, at UFRGS.

Etymology. Named after the Atlantic Rainforest, the area from which this species has been collected.

Comments. The striate metanotal sculpture of this species is uncommon in being formed by thick short lines throughout ( Fig. 29 ), while other Holopothrips with striate metanotum usually have thin long lines or are striate anteriorly and reticulate posteriorly. Holopothrips atlanticus shares some similarities with H. omercooperi , but is distinguished by having two setae on epimeral region ( Fig. 27 ), fore tibia brown ( Fig. 26 ), and median reticles on pelta being thin and longitudinally elongate with internal markings ( Fig. 28 ). This species also has some similarities with H. magnus sp. n., but H. atlanticus has a much darker body ( Fig. 26 ), longer pronotal setae ( Fig. 27 ), and males bear three pore plates on sternite VIII ( Fig. 31 ). Holopothrips atlanticus may be related to some other large, dark-bodied species of the genus with two pairs of epimeral setae, such as H. cardosoi sp. n. and H. nigrum sp. n. (both species with maxillary stylets parallel instead of V-shaped and one single pore plate on sternite VIII instead of three), or H. nigrisetis sp. n. (which is differentiated by the minute am and coxal setae, and whose males have pore plates on sternite VII as well as VIII).

Figures

FIGURES 26–31. Holopothrips atlanticus sp. nov. holotype and paratypes. (26) body; (27) head and pronotum; (28) pelta; (29) metanotum; (30) spermatheca; (31) pore plates on abdominal sternite VIII.