Thrips martini, Mound & Masumoto, 2005

Mound, Laurence A. & Masumoto, Masami, 2005, The genus Thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, Zootaxa 1020 (1), pp. 1-64 : 36

Thrips martini sp.n.

Diagnosis: Female with body and legs light brown, head paler medially, abdominal segments IX–X dark brown ( Fig. 56 ), tarsi yellow; antennal segments light brown to brown; forewings uniformly shaded; major setae brown. Head broader than long with a small tubercle or ridge anterior to first ocellus, vertex transversely striate, ocellar region weakly striate; ocellar setae III arising outside ocellar triangle, shorter than distance between hind ocelli; postocular setae I longer than ocellar setae III ( Fig. 54 ). Antennae 7­segmented. Pronotum transverse, with transverse lines medially but scarcely 16 discal setae; posteroangular setae well developed. Mesonotum with lines of sculpture near campaniform sensilla. Metanotal sculpture longitudinal laterally, but irregularly reticulate medially the sculpture lines bearing indistinct flanges ( Fig. 55 ); median pair of setae not close to anterior margin; campaniform sensilla present. Forewing relatively short, first vein with continuous row of 17–20 setae, second vein with 9–11 setae; clavus with 5 marginal setae, terminal seta longest. Abdominal tergites I–IV with irregular sculpture medially ( Fig. 59 ), V–VIII without sculpture medially posterior to setae S1; tergite II with 3 lateral marginal setae, tergites V–VIII with chaetotaxy and ctenidia typical of Thrips, IV sometimes with vestigial ctenidia; tergite VIII posteromarginal comb with small slender microtrichia arising irregularly in groups ( Fig. 58 ); tergite X with almost complete median split. Sternite II with 6 marginal setae ( Fig. 57 ), III–VII with about 4 to 8 discal setae; pleurotergites III–VI usually with 2 discal setae.

Measurements of holotype female in microns: Body length 1450. Head, length 125; width 160; ocellar setae 20. Pronotum, length 125; width 200; postero­angular setae 55. Forewing length 670. Antennal segments III–VII length 47, 43, 37, 47, 15.

Type material: Holotype ♀, New Zealand, South Island , Porters Pass [about 80km west of Christchurch], from Hebe brachysiphon , 26.x.2004 (in NZAC).

Paratypes, 14 ♀ collected with holotype .

Breeding: Dr Nicholas Martin reared the adult females of this species from larvae feeding on young leaves of Hebe brachysiphon , and noted that these larvae were leaving faecal droplets on the leaves. Also reared were two males of Desmidothrips walkerae Mound (Aeolothripidae) whose larvae were presumably predatory on the T. martini larvae.

Distribution: New Zealand, South Island.

Relationships: This species is very similar to T. austellus , and is the fifth member of the Thrips obscuratus group from New Zealand. Teneral individuals have the body yellow as in T. austellus , but with the terminal abdominal segments brown; mature individuals are extensively light brown. In contrast to T. austellus , the pronotal postero­angular setae of T. martini are considerably longer than antennal segment III, the abdominal tergites are more extensively sculptured medially, and the sternites and pleurotergites bear fewer discal setae. The forewings are relatively short in the available specimens and, in association with the strong tergal sculpture, this may suggest that this species sometimes produces micropterous adults.

Figures

FIGURES 49–59. Thrips species. T. longicaudatus (49) Tergites VIII–X. T. maculicollis 50–51: (50) Tergites VII–X; (51) Meso­metanota. T. malloti (52) Meso­metanota, female from Java; (53) Metanotum, female from Queensland. T. martini 54–59: (54) Head & pronotum; (55) Meso­metanota; (56) Teneral female; (57) Sternites II–III; (58) Tergites VII–VIII; (59) Tergites III–IV.