Teuchothrips tolga, Mound & Dang & Tree, 2023

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 : 473

Teuchothrips tolga sp.n.

( Figs 107–112 )

Female macroptera. Body and legs brown, all tarsi yellow, fore tibiae yellow distally; antennal segments I and VII– VIII brown, III–IV yellow, V–VI increasingly light brown toward apices; major setae all pale; fore wings pale, scarcely shaded at base. Head longer than wide, surface very weakly sculptured, postocular setae capitate and extending to posterior margin of eyes; maxillary stylets retracted to eyes, close together medially, with very stout maxillary guides ( Fig. 107 ). Antennal segment III about 1.5 times as long as wide; segment IV with only 2 sense cones, the sense cones on III and IV unusually short and stout; VIII short and slender ( Fig. 108 ). Pronotum transverse, with 5 pairs of major, capitate, setae. Fore legs stout, tibia inner apex with prominent tubercle, tarsal tooth stout and about half as long as tarsal width. Fore wing broad, with no duplicated cilia. Mesonotum transversely reticulate, lateral setal pair short but capitate. Metanotum medially very weakly reticulate, major setal pair slender. Mesopresternum divided into 2 triangles, metathoracic sternopleural sutures present ( Fig. 109 ). Pelta broadly triangular, base slightly flared ( Fig. 111 ); tergite IX setae S1 and S2 almost as long as tube; tube unusually stout ( Fig. 110 ).

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2350. Head, length 240; maximum width 210. Pronotum, length 180; width 325; epimeral setae 70. Fore wing, length 910; sub-basal setae S1 55, S2 60, S3 50. Tergite VIII posterolateral setae 110; tergite IX setae S1 145, S2 145; tube, length 175, basal width 100; anal setae, length 200. Antennal segments I–VIII length (width): 45 (45), 55 (40), 55 (35), 50 (40), 60 (35), 60 (30), 60 (25), 25 (15).

Male macroptera. Similar to female in colour and structure, pelta slightly broader ( Fig. 112 ); sternite VIII largely occupied by pore plate; tergite IX setae S2 as long as setae S1, tube slightly more slender than that of female.

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 2240. Tergite IX setae S1 130, S2 150; tube, length 150, basal width 80.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, Queensland, Mt Emerald west of Tolga [40km southwest of Cairns], from Melaleuca viridiflora , 13.ix.2014 ( Lyn Cook ), in ANIC.

Paratypes, taken with holotype, 1 male in ANIC , 1 female in QDPC .

Comments. One of the Teuchothrips with only two sense cones on antennal segment IV, this species is remarkable for the unusually stout maxillary guides ( Fig. 107 ), and for the elongate setae S2 on tergite IX of the male ( Fig. 110 ).

Figures

FIGURES 107–115. Teuchothrips of Australia. T. tolga 107–112: (107) head & pronotum; (108) antenna; (109) prosternites; (110) tergites IX–X; (111) pelta of female; (112) pelta of male. T. toowoomba 113–115: (113) head; (114) pronotum; (115) metanotum and pelta.