Holopothrips striatus Jorge, Cavalleri, Bedetti & Isaias, 2016: 175. 

Original reference: Jorge NC, Cavalleri A, Bedetti CS, Isaias RM (2016) A new leaf-galling Holopothrips (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) and the structural alterations on Myrcia retorta (Myrtaceae). Zootaxa 4200 (1): 174–180. doi: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4200.1.8 

Family

Phlaeothripidae, Phlaeothripinae

Nomenclatural information 

http://thrips.info/wiki/Holopothrips_striatus 

Diagnosis

Body mainly dark brown, with fore tibiae, all tarsi and apex of tube lighter; antennomere I concolorous with head, II brown basally and yellow apically, III yellow, IV–VI yellow basally and brown apically, getting progressively darker, VII–VIII brown; wings clear with a brown clavus. Head about 1.5x longer than wide, dorsal surface with weak transverse lines of sculpture; postocular setae shorter than the length of an eye, with dilated apex; maxillary stylets parallel and about 1/3 of the head width apart; mouth cone pointed. Antennae 8-segmented, III–IV with three sense cones each. Pronotum with weak transverse lines posteriorly, notopleural sutures incomplete; anteromarginal setae reduced to the size of discal setae; the other major pronotal setae are well developed and capitate, 1 pair of setae on epimeral region. Mesonotum reticulated and without internal markings. Metanotum with 1–2 pairs of anterior discal setae and one median major pair; sculpture closely striate longitudinally, not forming reticles. Fore wings with about 15 duplicated cilia. Pelta intermediate between triangular and bell-shaped, with anterior tip acute and basal angles slightly projected; reticulation with internal markings. Abdominal tergites II–VII with three pairs of wing-retaining setae. Both sexes macropterous.

Females bear a non-enlarged spermatheca. Males are slightly smaller, with reticulated pore plates on sternites VII–VIII: two anteroangular plates and two lateral plates on sternite VII, two anteroangular plates and one median transverse band on sternite VIII.

Intraspecific variation

Not recorded.

Genus and similar species information

Holopothrips is a genus with about 60 known species, distributed almost exclusively in the Neotropics. Several species in this genus are associated with plant galls, as inducers or invaders, in plants of many families. Most Holopothrips species bear three pairs of wing-retaining setae on tergites II–VII, males have complex pore plates and frequently in other sternites besides VIII, and the female spermatheca is visible. About 40 species in this genus have been described or recorded from Brazil. Holopothrips striatus is a dark-colored species with a closely striate metanotum, without reticles, much like H. atlanticus, H. nigrisetis and H. nigrum. Holopothrips striatus is distinguished from these three species for having only one pair of epimeral setae on pronotum, and from H. atlanticus and H. nigrum due to males bearing pore plates on abdominal sternites VII–VIII. A key to the species of Holopothrips is available in Lindner et al. 2018. 

Distribution around the world

Described from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/193705

Life history

Gall inducer in Myrcia retorta (Myrtaceae). 

Economic importance

Causes damage and aesthetic impacts to ornamental Myrcia retorta, inducing folding and brown spots on leaves. 

Suggested references
Jorge NC, Cavalleri A, Bedetti CS, Isaias RM (2016) A new leaf-galling Holopothrips (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) and the structural alterations on Myrcia retorta (Myrtaceae). Zootaxa 4200 (1): 174–180. doi: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4200.1.8 

Lindner MF, Ferrari A, Mound LA, Cavalleri A (2018) Holopothrips diversity—a Neotropical genus of gall-inducing insects (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae). Zootaxa 4494(1): 001–099.