Teuchothrips Hood, 1919

Mound, Laurence A., Dang, Lihong & Tree, Desley J., 2023, Structural diversity among the leaf-feeding thrips of Australia in the genus Teuchothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) with 20 new species, Zootaxa 5383 (4), pp. 441-475 : 443-444

Teuchothrips Hood

Teuchothrips Hood, 1919: 86 . Type species L. simplicipennis Hood , by original designation from six species.

Many of the early names erected for species in this genus were based on unsatisfactory slide-mounts of damaged specimens ( Fig. 69 ), particularly those produced by Bagnall, Girault and Karny (see images in Mound 2008). The identity of several such species, each based only on a single specimen, remains unclear, and their inclusion in the key below must be considered conjectural.

Generic diagnosis: Small to medium sized, dark, macropterous or micropterous Phlaeothripinae with dark or pale setae. Head usually longer than wide, genae weakly convex, postocular setae long (rarely short); maxillary stylets varying, from one-third of head width apart and not retracted as far as postocular setae, to deeply retracted to posterior margin of eyes and close together medially. Antennae 8-segmented; segment III with one sense cone, IV with 3 major sense cones (or less commonly with only 2); VIII usually short and not sharply constricted from VII. Pronotum transverse, with 4 pairs of major setae (rarely 5 or only epimerals present); notopleural sutures complete. Prosternal basantra absent; ferna well developed; mesopresternum usually absent medially; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present, often long but sometimes weak. Fore tarsal tooth usually present in both sexes. Fore wings not constricted medially, with duplicated cilia (6 species without). Pelta essentially triangular; tergites II‒ VII each with two pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 often long and pointed, but commonly capitate and sometimes short. Male tergite IX setae S2 usually shorter and stouter than S1; sternite VIII with or without pore plate.

Figures

FIGURES 63–75. Teuchothrips of Australia. T. larrakia 63–64: (63) head & pronotum; (64) fore tarsus, male. T. leptospermum 65–67: (65) head & pronotum; (66) metanotum & pelta; (67) antenna. T. longiseta 68–70: (68) head & pronotum; (69) type slide; (70) metanotum & pelta. T. lutruwita 71–75: (71) antenna; (72) head; (73) metanotum & pelta; (74) prosternites; (75) tergites IX–X.