Holopothrips curiosus Lindner, Ferrari, Mound & Cavalleri, 2018: 32.

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_curiosus

Diagnosis

Body brown, with fore tarsi lighter; antennomeres I–II concolourous with head, II lighter on extreme apex, III–VI yellow at base and brown apically, VII–VIII brown; fore wings hyaline, weakly shaded basally; major body setae light brown. Head about 1.5 times longer than the width behind eyes, dorsal surface with transverse lines of sculpture; postocular setae almost as long as the width of a compound eye, with blunt to slightly expanded apexes; maxillary stylets V-shaped and about half of head width apart; mouth cone rounded. Antenna 8-segmented, III–IV with three elongated sense cones each. Pronotum smooth medially, with transverse lines of sculpture near posterior margin, notopleural sutures incomplete and short; 5 pairs of major pronotal setae, one pair on epimeral region; anteromarginal setae with blunt apexes, remaining major pronotal setae with capitate apexes. Mesonotal sculpture formed by irregular reticles medially to elongate marginally, without internal markings. Metanotum with one pair of anterior discal setae and one major median pair; sculpture formed by longitudinal lines, sometimes forming thin elongate reticles, sometimes forming a striate pattern; internal markings present. Fore tarsal hamus small. Fore wings with about 7–12 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular with irregular margins, anterior margin acute, one pair of campaniform sensilla present; sculpture formed by irregular elongate reticles medially, larger laterally, transverse lines posteriorly; without internal markings. Abdominal tergites with transverse lines of sculpture, forming some elongate reticles, III–VII with three pairs of wing-retaining setae. Both sexes macropterous.

Females have an S-shaped spermatheca. Males bear reticulate pore plates on sternites VII–VIII: two bands on anterior angles and one transverse band posterior to discal setae; this transverse band is interrupted medially on sternite VII.

Intraspecific variation

Some specimens may lack the third pair of wing-retaining setae on tergites IV and/or V.

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 curiosus has an uncommon combination of characters within the genus: body relatively small with head longer than wide, maxillary stylets V-shaped, fore tarsi fully brown, abdominal tergite II with some weak internal markings in the sculpture.

World distribution

Described from Brazil.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/197493 

Life history

This species induces leaf galls in Siphoneugena reitzii (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.