Holopothrips nigrum Lindner, Ferrari, Mound & Cavalleri, 2018: 69.

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_nigrum

Diagnosis

Body dark brown, with fore tibiae, apex of mid and hind tibiae plus mid and hind tarsi light brown, fore tarsi yellow; antennomeres I–II concolorous with head, II lighter at apex, III–VI yellow basally and shaded brown on apical half, VII brown with extreme base yellow, VIII brown; fore wings pale, darker near base; major body setae dark brown. Head about 1.5 times longer than width behind eyes, dorsal surface with weak transverse lines of sculpture; postocular setae longer than the length of a compound eye, with acute to blunt apexes; maxillary stylets parallel and less than 1/5 of head width apart; mouth cone pointed. Antenna 8-segmented, III–IV with 3 elongated sense cones each. Pronotum with weak sculpture medially, striate anteriorly and posteriorly, notopleural sutures usually incomplete; 6 pairs of major pronotal setae, 2 pairs on epimeral region; all major setae well developed, with blunt to slightly capitate tips. Mesonotum with transverse lines of sculpture, enclosing few weakly defined irregular reticles, without internal markings. Metanotum with 1–2 pairs of anterior discal setae and 1 median major pair; sculpture with short longitudinal lines, forming a striate pattern, with weak internal markings anteriorly. Fore tarsal hamus short. Fore wings with about 16–27 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular with slightly curved lateral margins, a pair of campaniform sensilla present; sculpture formed by thin elongate reticles with internal markings medially, almost striate posteromedially. Abdominal tergites with transverse lines of sculpture, II–VII with three pairs of wing-retaining setae. Both sexes macropterous.

Females bear an S-shaped spermatheca. Males are slightly shorter, with a pore plate on abdominal sternite VIII: a median transverse band, with reticulate 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 nigrum 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. nigrisetis. However, it can be differentiated for having maxillary stylets parallel to sinuous, and males with a single transverse pore plate on abdominal sternite VIII.

World distribution

Brazil.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/197504 

Life history

This species was collected from leaves and leaf galls in species of 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.