Holopothrips acrioris Lindner, Ferrari, Mound & Cavalleri, 2018: 17.

Original reference: 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.

Family

Phlaeothripidae, Phlaeothripinae

Nomenclatural information

https://thrips.info/wiki/Holopothrips_acrioris

Diagnosis

Body brown, with fore tibia brownish yellow and tarsi yellow; antennomeres I–II concolourous with head, II yellowish on apex, III–IV yellow, V–VI yellow basally and shaded on apical half, VII–VIII brown; fore wings hyaline to weakly shaded; major body setae yellow. Head about 1.2 times longer than the width behind eyes, dorsal surface with transverse lines of sculpture; postocular setae as long as the width of a compound eye, with acute to blunt apexes; maxillary stylets parallel, less than 1/5 of head width apart; mouth cone pointed. Antenna with 8 antennomeres, III–IV with three elongate sense cones each. Pronotum sculpture weak to absent, notopleural sutures incomplete; 6 pairs of pronotal major setae with acute to blunt apexes, two of them on epimeral region; anteromarginal and anteroangular setae shorter than the other major pronotal setae. Mesonotum sculpture formed by irregular to elongated reticles, without internal markings. Metanotum with 1–2 pairs of anterior discal setae and one major median pair; sculpture formed by irregular to elongated reticles, without internal markings. Fore tarsal hamus small. Fore wings with about 14–17 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular with irregular margins, one pair of campaniform sensilla present; sculpture formed by equiangular to elongated reticles, without internal markings. Abdominal tergites with transverse lines of sculpture, II–VII with three pairs of wing-retaining setae. Both sexes macropterous.

Females have S-shaped spermatheca. Males are slightly smaller, with a pore plate on sternite VIII: one thin transversal band medially, with punctuated texture.

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 to 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 acrioris is similar to H. conducans, being differentiated by the absence of elongated reticles with internal markings on pelta and for using Myrcia selloi as its host plant. It can also be differentiated from H. infestans for bearing two pairs of epimeral setae and three pairs of wing-retaining setae on tergites II–VII.

World distribution

Brazil.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/197488 

Life history

Induces leaf galls on Myrcia selloi (Myrtaceae).

Economic importance

Not recorded.

References suggested

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.