Holopothrips irregularis Lindner, Ferrari, Mound & Cavalleri, 2018: 50.

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_irregularis

Diagnosis

Body light brown, with fore tibia and fore tarsi yellow, mid and hind tarsi brownish yellow; antennomere I concolourous with head, II brown with apical third yellow, III–VIII yellow, with apical antennomeres weakly shaded; fore wings pale; major body setae light yellow. Head as long or slightly longer than width behind eyes, dorsal surface with transverse lines of sculpture; postocular setae as long as the width of a compound eye, with blunt to weakly capitate apexes; maxillary stylets V-shaped and more than half of head width apart; mouth cone rounded. Antenna 8-segmented, III–IV with 2 sense cones each. Pronotum weakly sculptured on posterior margin and sometimes anteriorly, notopleural sutures incomplete; 5 pairs of major pronotal setae, one pair on epimeral region; anteromarginal and anteroangular setae short with acute to blunt apexes, other major pronotal setae well-developed and with weakly expanded to capitate apexes. Mesonotal sculpture with irregular to elongate reticles, without internal markings. Metanotum with 1–2 pairs of anterior discal setae and one median major pair; sculpture formed by elongated reticles, forming a concentric pattern posteriorly, with internal markings. Fore tarsal hamus weakly thickened, but not elongated. Fore wings with about 5–7 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular with irregular margins, one pair of campaniform sensilla present; sculpture formed by equiangular to elongate reticles, weakly defined, without internal markings. Abdominal tergites with sculpture formed by irregular to elongate reticles, weakly defined to absent medially, II–VII with three pairs of wing-retaining setae. Both sexes macropterous.

Females have a swollen spermatheca. Males are slightly smaller, apparently bearing pore plates on sternite VIII: weakly defined irregular spots, posterior to discal setae, with punctuated texture.

Intraspecific variation

Specimens may bear a second developed setae on epimeral region, shorter than the major pair. The third pair of wing-retaining setae may be absent on abdominal tergite II.

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 irregularis shares some similarities with H. mariae, but is differentiated from it by the body colouration, for having mesonotal sculpture without internal markings, and male pore plates weakly defined and restricted to sternite VIII.

World distribution

Brazil.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/197497 

Life history

This species was collected from leaf galls in an unidentified species of Eugenia (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.