Mesandrothrips austrosteensia Mound & Tree 2019, sp.n.
Creators: name: Mound, Laurence A.
name: Tree, Desley J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Thysanoptera
Phlaeothripidae
Mesandrothrips
Mesandrothrips austrosteensia

description: Mesandrothrips austrosteensia sp.n.
(Figs 5, 9, 19, 20)
Female macroptera. Body and femora brown, tarsi and fore tibiae brownish-yellow, mid and hind tibiae light brown; antennal segment I as brown as head, II yellow toward apex, III mainly yellow, IV–V yellow in basal third but light brown distally, VI light brown, VII–VIII dark brown; fore wings pale to very lightly shaded; all major setae pale. Head longer than wide (Fig. 19), projecting very slightly in front of eyes; vertex with weak sculpture lines; eyes longer dorsally than ventrally; postocular setae arising laterally, weakly capitate and not extending far beyond posterior margin of eyes; maxillary stylets short, low in head; mouth cone short and rounded. Antennal segments III–IV with sense cones short and stout, V–VII with distinct pedicels, VIII slender and narrowed to base. Pronotum slightly longer than wide (Fig. 19), without sculpture lines but with median longitudinal apodeme; pronotal am setae minute, remaining major setae weakly capitate. Fore femora swollen, fore tibiae short and stout, fore tarsal tooth massive (Fig. 5). Mesonotum weakly sculptured, lateral setae small (Fig. 20); metanotum without sculpture anteromedially, weakly reticulate posteromedially, median setae small and acute. Mesopresternum entire; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present but narrow. Fore wing with about 9 duplicated cilia; sub-basal setae rather short, S1 and S2 capitate, S3 acute. Pelta with short wings posterolaterally; tergites II–VII each with two pairs of sigmoid wingretaining setae, of which the most posterior pair on III–VI is much larger than the anterior pair; tergite II with an extra pair of curved setae anterolateral to sigmoid setae; tergites III–VI with posteroangular setae S1 and S2 weakly capitate, VII with S2 pointed; tergite IX setae S1 and S2 pointed, shorter than tube.
Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2550. Head, length 290; width 190; postocular setae 50. Pronotum, length 260; width 250; major setae, aa 25, ml 40, epim 65, pa 45. Fore wing length I 000; sub-basal setae 45, 45, 55. Tergite V posteromarginal setae S1 90, S2 85. Tergite IX setae S1 140, S2 140. Tube, length 190; basal width 70. Antennal segments III–VIII length 70, 68, 60, 55, 50, 45.
Male microptera. Similar to female in colour and structure; tergite IX setae S2 short and stout; sternite VIII without a pore plate; pseudovirga apex similar to that of many species of Haplothrips.
Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 2450. Head, length 260; width 165; postocular setae 50. Pronotum, length 250; width 250; major setae aa 50, ml 60, epim 70, pa 45. Tergite IX setae S1 130; S2 40. Tube, length 180; basal width 65.
Material studied Female holotype, Australia, New South Wales, Brisbane, The Gap, Allamanda Street, from leaf gall on Austrosteensia blackii [Fabaceae], 24.xi.2007 (DJT 569), in ANIC.
Paratypes, all from same site and vine: 4 males taken with holotype; 3 females, 1 male, 10.i.2008; 3 females, 18.i.2008; 14 females, 7 males, 18.ii.2008; 2 females, 5 males, 22.vi.2008 (in ANIC & QDPC).
Comments. This species shares many structural character states with species of the Haplothripini, but is remarkable for the short maxillary stylets, the massive nature of the fore legs, and the elongate pronotum. It is not closely related to M. inquilinus, but is presumably adapted to invading the unusual leaf galls of its thripid host, Cyrilthrips cecidis. Tree and Mound (2009) reported that these leaf-fold galls sometimes have an additional marginal flap that inhibits such invasion. They concluded that this thrips is not a predator, but behaves as a kleptoparasite. The adults and larvae feed on the inner tissues of the galls induced by C. cecidis, and pupae occur within the galls.
description: Published as part of Mound, Laurence A. & Tree, Desley J., 2019, Rediagnoses of the Asian genera Xylaplothrips and Mesandrothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae, Haplothripini), with keys to Australian species, pp. 327-341 in Zootaxa 4613 (2) on pages 332-333, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4613.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/3238971