Holopothrips nigrisetis  Lindner, Ferrari, Mound & Cavalleri, 2018: 67.

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_nigrisetis

Diagnosis

Body brown, with tarsi light brown; antennomeres I–II concolorous with head, II lighter apically, III yellow, IV–V yellow basally but shaded on apical half, VI yellowish brown with base paler, VII–VIII light brown; fore wings pale with brown base; major body setae dark brown. Head about 1.5 times longer than width behind eyes, dorsal surface with transverse lines of sculpture; postocular setae almost as long as the length of a compound eye, with blunt to weakly capitate apexes; maxillary stylets V-shaped and about half of head width apart; mouth cone pointed. Antenna 8-segmented, III–IV with three elongate sense cones each. Pronotum weakly striate posteriorly, notopleural sutures incomplete; 6 pairs of major pronotal setae, 2 pairs on epimeral region; anteromarginal setae reduced, remaining major setae well developed with blunt to weakly capitate tips. Mesonotum with short transverse lines of sculpture, enclosing few elongate reticles, without internal markings. Metanotum with 1–2 pairs of anterior discal setae and one major median pair; sculpture formed by long longitudinal lines, forming a striate pattern, with few internal markings. Fore tarsal hamus short. Fore wings with about 10–16 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular with irregular margins, one pair of campaniform sensilla present; sculpture formed by thin elongate reticles with internal markings medially, irregular reticles without internal markings laterally. Abdominal tergites with sculpture formed by transversely elongate reticles, II–VII with three pairs of wing-retaining setae. Both sexes macropterous.

Females bear an S-shaped spermatheca. Males are slightly smaller, with reticulate pore plates on sternites VII–VIII: a transverse median band on sternite VII, and two anteroangular plates plus a transverse median band on VIII.

Intraspecific variation

Male pore plates are variable in the occurrence of a link between anterior plates and the posterior plate on sternite VIII, and the size or presence of anterior plates on sternite VII.

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 nigrisetis is possibly related to other species in the genus with robust and dark brown body, two pairs of pronotal epimeral setae and metanotum striate, such as H. atlanticus and H. nigrum. However, it can be differentiated for having the anterior pronotal setae short, pelta with irregular margins and male pore plates occurring on abdominal sternites VII–VIII.

World distribution

Brazil.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/197503 

Life history

This species induces leaf galls in an unidentified species of Myrcia (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.