Hoplothrips giganteus Mound & Wang & Tree 2020, sp. n.
Creators: name: Mound, Laurence A.
name: Wang, Jun
name: Tree, Desley J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Thysanoptera
Phlaeothripidae
Hoplothrips
Hoplothrips giganteus

description: Hoplothrips giganteus sp. n.
(Figs 7, 33, 48, 65)
Female macroptera. Body, legs and antennae dark brown, tarsi paler also base of antennal segments III–V; major setae pale; fore wings pale. Head with weak transverse sculpture lines except between eyes; genae convex; genae appearing serrated with stout setae arising from small tubercles; compound eyes large, more than one third of head length; postocular setae wide apart, pointed, less than half as long as dorsal eye length; maxillary stylets retracted to postocular setae and close together medially (Fig. 7). Antennal segment III slender with 3 sense cones, IV slender with 4 sense cones, VIII weakly narrowed to base (Fig. 33). Pronotum with faint sculpture around margins; major setae pointed, small to minute, pa longest (Fig. 7). Mesonotum with transverse polygonal sculpture, lateral setae small; metanotum reticulate, median setae finely pointed (Fig. 48). Prosternal basantra absent, ferna triangular almost meeting medially; mesopresternum slender boat-shaped; mesoeusternal anterior margin entire. Fore tarsal tooth sharp, longer than half tarsal width. Fore wings with three small sub-basal setae, about 24 duplicated cilia. Pelta with slender lateral lobes (Fig. 48); tergites II–VI each with two pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae, minute and straight on VII; tergite VIII median setae pointed; tergite IX setae S1 much shorter than tube and pointed, S2 blunt; anal setae longer than tube.
Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 4440. Head, length 345; most width 275; postocular setae 45, the distance of their base 235, postocellar setae 20, the distance of their base 70. Pronotum, length 270; median width 400; major setae am 10, aa 25, ml 13, epim 15, pa 25. Mesonotum lateral setae 20; Metanotum median setae 40. Tergite IV median marginal setae 85; tergite VIII median setae 71, tergite IX setae S1 88, S2 73. Tube length 202.Anal setae 278. Antennal segments III–VIII length (width) 113 (47), 115 (43), 100 (33), 63 (28), 50 (23), 49 (16). Fore wing length 136, sub-basal setae S1 33, S2 33, S3 33.
Male macroptera. Similar to female but smaller, setae stouter on genae; fore tarsal tooth larger; large male with prominent median ridge on pronotum; tergite IX S2 setae short and stout; sternite VIII without pore plate; sternites III–VII of large male with specialised reticulate areas (Fig. 65) (absent in small male).
Measurements (in microns). Body length 3470. Head, length 308; width 248; postocular setae 50. Pronotum, length 260; median width 313; major setae am 8, aa 23, ml 11, epim 24, pa 47. Tergite IX setae S1 113, S2 52. Tube length 180, anal setae 243. Antennal segments III–VIII length 106, 101, 96, 65, 50, 31. Fore wing length 121.
Specimens studied. Holotype female macroptera. Queensland, Carnarvon Gorge, from Eucalyptus dead leaves, 11.v.2017 (DJT 2063) in ANIC.
Paratypes: 1 female and 2 males, same data as holotype.
Comments. The structure of this dark brown species is unusual, with a characteristic pelta, tergites II–VI with two pairs of sigmoid wing-retaining setae but none on VII, and the male abdominal sternite VIII without a pore plate.
description: Published as part of Mound, Laurence A., Wang, Jun & Tree, Desley J., 2020, The genus Hoplothrips in Australia (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae), with eleven new species, pp. 301-323 in Zootaxa 4718 (3) on pages 306-307, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4718.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3602430