Holopothrips nigrum, Lindner & Ferrari & Mound & Cavalleri, 2018

Lindner, Mariana F., Ferrari, Augusto, Mound, Laurence A. & Cavalleri, Adriano, 2018, Holopothrips diversity-a Neotropical genus of gall-inducing insects (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae), Zootaxa 4494 (1), pp. 1-99 : 69-71

Holopothrips nigrum sp. n.

( Figs 198–203 )

Diagnostic features. Body (except antenna) uniformly dark brown; maxillary stylets parallel; two pairs of long pronotal setae on epimeral region; metanotal sculpture striate thoroughly; pelta with anterior margin pointed and internal markings; male with a single transverse pore plate on sternite VIII; female spermatheca not enlarged.

Macropterous female: Body ( Fig. 198 ) uniformly dark brown, fore tibia, apexes of mid and hind tibia and mid and hind tarsi lighter brown, fore tarsi yellow, tube dark brown with apical third lighter. Antennal segments I–II concolourous with head, II lighter on extreme apex; III–VI yellow on basal half and brown on apical half, gradually getting darker, VII brown with extreme base yellow, VIII brown. Fore wings pale, darker near base, without median dark line, clavus shaded; major body setae dark brown.

Head ( Fig. 199 ) about 1.5 times as long as width behind eyes, dorsal surface with weak transverse lines of sculpture; cheeks straight to slightly curved, some specimens bearing minute tubercles on sculpture dorsolaterally. Eyes well-developed, dorsal length about 0.34 of head length; po with acute to blunt apex, longer than the dorsal length of the eye. Maxillary stylets parallel, reaching po level and less than 0.2 of head width apart. Mouth cone with sharply pointed tip, reaching beyond the posterior margin of fore coxae. Antennal segment III with 3 sense cones and IV with 3 sense cones + 1 additional small sense cone.

Pronotum ( Fig. 199 ) trapezoidal, faint reticulate sculpture medially and striate on anterior and posterior margins; epimeral sutures usually incomplete, ranging from short to almost reaching posterior margin of pronotum; in at least two observed specimens the epimeral suture is complete in one side. Six major pairs of pronotal setae, two pairs on epimeral region; all pairs well-developed and with blunt tips, aa, ml and pa sometimes with slightly expanded tips. Basantra absent; prosternal ferna well-developed, touching medially. Mesonotum ( Fig. 200 ) with short transverse lines forming small irregular reticles, with its lateral limits faint; internal markings on sculpture absent. Metanotum ( Fig. 200 ) with longitudinal short lines forming a striate pattern, faint internal markings on sculpture present near anterior margin; one or two pairs of anterior discal setae and one pair of median major setae present. Fore tarsal hamus not enlarged. Fore wings with 16 to 27 duplicated cilia.

Pelta ( Fig. 201 ) triangular with lateral margins slightly curved, anterior margin acute, no lateral wings; paired campaniform sensilla present. Sculpture covering the whole pelta; very thin longitudinally elongated reticles medially, elongated reticles laterally, posteromedian area almost striate, internal markings on sculpture present. Tergite II with well-defined transverse striation, sometimes with weak internal markings; sculpture less defined on further tergites. Tergites II–VII with three pairs of wing retaining setae. Tergite IX setae S1, S2 and S3 with finely acute apexes. Tube about 0.85 of head length and about 2.6 times as long as greatest width near base, apical width about 0.5 of basal width. Spermatheca ( Fig. 202 ) S-shaped but not thickened or swollen medially.

Measurements (female holotype in microns): Length about 3436; head length 367, width behind eyes 244, po length 135, eye dorsal length 122; median length of pronotum 182, width across ep 347, am 56, aa 62, ml 100, ep 160, pa 140; width of mesonotum 397; fore wing length 1530; tergite IX setae S1 270, S2 325, S3 255; tergite X length 325, basal width 122, apical width 57; length(width) of antennal segments III–VIII 102(41), 95(40), 97(37), 85(30), 75(27), 51(14), respectively.

Macropterous male: Similar to female in both colouration and structure, but slightly smaller. Pore plate ( Fig. 203 ) with reticulate texture and present on sternite VIII, a single transverse band posterior to discal setae.

Measurements (male paratype in microns): Length about 3308; head length 350, width behind eyes 235, po length 132, eye dorsal length 120; median length of pronotum 175, width across ep 352, am 42, aa 76, ml 117, ep 147, pa 130; width of mesonotum 400; fore wing length 1500; tergite IX setae S1 282, S2 300, S3 312; tergite X length 297, basal width 107, apical width 55; length(width) of antennal segments III–VIII 102(40), 92(37), 92(35), 87(27), 72(25), 50(15), respectively.

Material studied. Holotype female, Brazil, Minas Gerais, Monte Verde, in Acca sellowiana leaf gall, 10.x.2009 (Kaminski, L.A.), at UFRGS. Slide code UFRGS 1191 .

Paratypes: 6 males and 2 females collected with holotype, at UFRGS.

Non-type specimens: 8 males and 8 females, Brazil, Minas Gerais, Serra do Cipó , in Myrtaceae , 23.iv.2013 and 31.viii.2013 (Toma, T.), at UFRGS.

Etymology. Named in reference to the dark body colour of the species.

Comments. Holopothrips nigrum may be related to some other large, dark-bodied species of the genus with two pairs of epimeral setae, such as H. atlanticus and H. nigrisetis (both species with V-shaped maxillary stylets and males with three pore plates on sternite VIII, instead of parallel stylets and a single plate on VIII), or H. cardosoi (whose metanotal sculpture is reticulate instead of striate, and males have pore plates on sternite VII as well as VIII).

Figures

FIGURES 198–203. Holopothrips nigrum sp. nov. holotype and paratypes. (198) body; (199) head and pronotum; (200) mesonotum and metanotum; (201) pelta; (202) spermatheca; (203) pore plate on abdominal sternite VIII.