Thrips seticollis (Bagnall)

Mound, Laurence A. & Masumoto, Masami, 2005, The genus Thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, Zootaxa 1020 (1), pp. 1-64 : 46-47

Thrips seticollis (Bagnall)

Taeniothrips seticollis Bagnall, 1915: 591

Diagnosis: Female brown, legs brown with tibiae paler at apex, tarsi yellow, antennal segment III yellow, IV yellow at base and II at apex, remaining segments brown; forewings shaded, base sharply pale. Antennae 8­segmented; ocellar setae III short, arising just inside ocellar triangle; postocular setae I longer than side of ocellar triangle, setae III and V at least twice as long as II and IV. Pronotum with weak transverse markings, 16–20 discal setae present each about as long as postocular setae I; postero­angular setae elongate ( Fig. 81 ), also median posteromarginal setae. Fore tarsus with large pretarsal claw ( Fig. 83 ). Mesonotum with no sculpture near campaniform sensilla. Metanotum ( Fig. 80 ) closely striate medially, anterior area with transverse striae, median setae at anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present. Forewing first vein with setal row complete; clavus with terminal and subterminal setae subequal. Tergite II with 4 lateral margin setae; median tergites with no lines of sculpture extending mesad of setae S2; ctenidia present on tergites V–VIII but weak on V and absent on IV, on VIII terminating anterior to setae S3 ( Fig. 82 ); tergite VIII with posteromarginal comb complete but irregular medially; sternites and pleurotergites with no discal setae.

Male light brown, tergite VIII with no comb, sternites III–VII with small transverse glandular area.

Breeding: No specific host plant for this species has yet been recognized.

Distribution: This Australian endemic is known only from five specimens: the female holotype taken near Perth in 1914, and three females and one male taken in 1967 from 100km south of Perth.

Relationships: This species is unusual in having a large pretarsal claw, but is otherwise very similar to T. wellsae , described below from the mountains of south­eastern Australia and Tasmania. Also closely related is T. tomeus , described below from two females taken at Canberra that have a similar large pretarsal claw.

Figures

FIGURES 72–83. Thrips species. T. palmi 72–74: (72) Head & pronotum; (73) Meso­metanota; (74) Tergites VI–VIII. T. parvispinus 75–76: (75) Meso­metanota; (76) Sternites V–VII. T. phormiicola 77–79: (77) Head & pronotum; (78) Meso­metanota; (79) sternites II–III. T. seticollis 80–83: (80) Meso­metanota; (81) Pronotum; (82) Tergites VI–VIII; (83) fore tarsus.