Baenothrips goweri, Mound & Wells, 2023

Mound, Laurence A. & Wells, Alice, 2023, Endemism among Lord Howe IslandThysanoptera, with new species of Baenothrips (Phlaeothripidae) and Scirtothrips (Thripidae), Zootaxa 5228 (1), pp. 81-91 : 83-85

Baenothrips goweri sp.n.

( Figs 2, 5, 10 )

Female aptera. Body strongly bicoloured, head, pronotum and fore legs dark brown, rest of body mainly pale; mesonotum anterior half light brown, tergites III–VIII light brown laterally and with pair of weak shadings medially; antennal segments I–V pale, VI-VIII light brown.Anterior margin of head with 3 tubercles bearing long setae; dorsal surface of head tuberculate ( Fig. 5 ); compound eyes dorsally with 4–5 small facets mesad of 3 large facets, ventrally with a single isolated small facet. Maxillary stylets retracted to postocular setae, about one-third of head width apart, with slender maxillary bridge. Antennae 8-segmented, III–V broadly joined but distinct from each other ( Fig. 10 ); III asymmetric, with weak sub-basal ridge; III apparently without a sense cone, IV with 2 sense cones. Pronotum transverse, with irregular sculpture and about 20 minute setae; notopleural sutures not developed, epimeral setae pale and broadly expanded ( Fig. 2 ). Mesonotum anterior half finely tuberculate. Metanotum with no sculpture, with 30-40 minute setae. Metathoracic epimera slightly swollen, weakly tuberculate. Prosternal basantra small and lateral, ferna well-developed; spinasternum long and slender, mesopresternum transverse and very slender; metathoracic sternopleural sutures absent. Mesothoracic furca reduced to pair of small lateral invaginations. Pelta fully transverse between the large spiracles, with weak sculpture; tergites II–VIII with weak irregular sculpture, III–VIII each with pair of pale, flattened posteroangular setae; spiracle on VIII very small; IX longer than wide without prominent setae; tube long and slender, median dorsal anal setae much more slender than the longer lateral pairs.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1750. Head, length 185; maximum width 175; median setal pair 60; lateral setal pairs 40. Pronotum, length 115; width 210; posteroangular setae 25. Tergite IX, length 140; maximum width 150. Tube, length 250; anal setae mid-dorsal pair 80; lateral pairs 600. Antennal segments III–VIII length 35, 25, 25, 23, 25, 20.

Male aptera. Structurally similar to female, but smaller and paler.

Specimens studied. Holotype female aptera, Lord Howe Island , Mt Gower, Erskine Valley, from leaf litter, 2.xii.2000, in ANIC.

Paratypes, all Lord Howe Island : 5 females 1 male, taken with holotype; 1 female, same site in leaf litter, 10.xii.2000; Goat House , 4 females in litter, 24.xi.2000 ; Intermediate Hill , 3 females 1 male in litter, 3.xii.2000 .

Comments. Although generally similar in structure to bulbosus sp.n. this species has retained the sharply bicoloured appearance that is quite common amongst Baenothrips species.

Figures

FIGURES 1–13. Baenothrips species. Metanotum and tergites I–II 1–2: (1) moundi; (2) goweri. Head 3–7: (3) caenosus; (4) bulbosus; (5) goweri; (6) leukos; (7) moundi. Antenna 8–11: (8) caenosus; (9) bulbosus; (10) goweri; (11) moundi. Tergites IX–X: (12) bulbosus; (13) moundi.