Teuchothrips aliceae Mound & Dang & Tree 2023, sp.n.
Creators: name: Mound, Laurence A.
name: Dang, Lihong
name: Tree, Desley J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Thysanoptera
Phlaeothripidae
Teuchothrips
Teuchothrips aliceae

description: Teuchothrips aliceae sp.n.
(Figs 5–8)
Female microptera. Body and legs brown, all tarsi yellow, all tibiae with extreme apices briefly yellow; antennal segments II–II and VII–VIII brown, III–V mainly yellow, VI light brown distally; major setae pale; fore wing lobe pale. Head longer than wide, genae convex; vertex with reticulate sculpture; postocular setae softly capitate, extending to posterior margin of eyes; eyes longer dorsally than ventrally; maxillary stylets close together medially, retracted to eyes; mouth cone bluntly pointed (Fig. 5). Antennal segment III less than twice as long as apical width; IV with 2 small major sense cones, VIII small but distinct from VII (Fig. 6). Pronotum transverse, with 4 pairs of short capitate setae, am also capitate but scarcely larger than discal setae; surface with weak reticulate sculpture except medially. Fore tarsal tooth stout, at least half as long as width of tarsus, fore femora slightly enlarged. Fore wing lobe with 3 capitate sub-basal setae arising in straight line. Mesonotum transversely reticulate, lateral setal pair small. Metanotum transverse, evenly reticulate, major setal pair slender (Fig. 7). Mesopresternum paired lateral triangles weakly connected medially, metathoracic sternopleural sutures long. Pelta broadly triangular to D-shaped, with wide base; only tergites IV–VI with 2 pairs of sigmoid setae, lateral setae short, tergite IX setae S1 and S2 capitate; tube lateral margins straight narrowed distally (Fig. 8).
Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1980. Head, length 185; maximum width 170. Pronotum, length 185; width 275; epimeral setae 35. Fore wing, length 120; sub-basal setae S1 15, S2 15, S3 20. Tergite VIII posterolateral setae 45; tergite IX setae S1 60, S2 60; tube, length 145, basal width 70; anal setae, length 120. Antennal segments I–VIII length (width): 35 (30), 45 (30), 40 (30), 40 (30), 50 (30), 50 (30), 50 (25), 25 (15).
Male microptera. Similar to female in colour and sculpture but pronotum and fore legs stouter and postocular setae longer; sternite VIII largely occupied by pore plate; tergite IX setae S2 capitate, slightly shorter than setae S1.
Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 1700. Head, length 160; width 155. Pronotum, length 190; width 290. Tergite IX setae S1 60, S2 40. Tube, length 130, basal width 65; anal setae, length 120.
Specimens studied. Holotype female, Australian Capital Territory, Weston, in gall on Melaleuca styphelioides, 14.ii.2012 (LAM 5551), in ANIC.
Paratypes: 2 females, 2 males, also larvae, taken with holotype. A. C. T., Black Mountain: 1 female from Melaleuca sp., 13.iv.2003; CSIRO gardens, 5 females, 3 males from Melaleuca styphelioides, 22.x.2023 (LAM 6563).
Comments. The three female and two male micropterae from Weston were taken from galls on a garden plant. The series of paratypes from CSIRO gardens includes one female in which antennal segment VI is shaded brown and V is also very weakly shaded. The remaining specimens of both sexes all have segments III – VII yellow. The females of this species have antennal segment IV short, and also short tergite IX S1 setae. It is otherwise a typical member of this genus, although it is one of the species with antennal segment IV bearing only two major sense cones.
description: Published as part of 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, pp. 441-475 in Zootaxa 5383 (4) on pages 447-448, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5383.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/10369631