Holopothrips punctatus Lindner, Ferrari, Mound & Cavalleri, 2018: 77.

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_punctatus

Diagnosis

Body light brown, with fore tibiae and all tarsi yellow, mid tibiae yellow on apical half, hind tibiae yellow at apex; antennomere I concolorous with head, II light brown on basal half and yellow apically, III–VIII yellow; fore wings pale with basal area darker; body major setae yellow. Head about 1.3 times longer than width behind eyes, dorsal surface with transverse lines of sculpture, sometimes forming elongated reticles; dorsolateral region of head with small “punctuations” on sculpture lines; postocular setae as long as the width of a compound eye, with weakly capitated apexes; maxillary stylets V-shaped and more than half of head width apart; mouth cone rounded. Antennae 8-segmented, III–IV with three elongated sense cones each. Pronotum without sculpture medially, but weakly striated posteriorly, notopleural sutures incomplete and short; 5 pairs of major pronotal setae, one pair on epimeral region; anteromarginal setae small, remaining major pronotal setae well developed and with weakly capitate apexes. Mesonotal sculpture formed by equiangular reticles medially, elongate laterally, without internal markings. Metanotum with 1–2 pairs of anterior discal setae and one major median pair; sculpture formed by equiangular reticles, without internal markings. Fore tarsal hamus small. Fore wings with about 4–8 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular, wider basally than long, one pair of campaniform sensilla present; sculpture present medially but weaker or absent posteriorly, formed by elongate to irregular reticles, without internal markings. Abdominal tergites without visible sculpture, II–VII with three pairs of wing-retaining setae.Both sexes macropterous.

Females bear a swollen spermatheca. Males are slightly smaller, with pore plates of punctuated texture on sternites VI–VIII: irregular spots medially on sternite VI, a transverse median band on VII, two anteroangular plates and a transverse median band on VIII.

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 punctatus has appearance and sculpture similar to H. hambletoni and H. pennatus, being differentiated from the former by the position of maxillary stylets and “punctuated” appearance of dorsolateral sculpture on head; and from the later by the brown femora.

World distribution

Brazil.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/197505 

Life history

This species has been found living together with specimens of  H. claritibialis in Mollinedia spp. (Monimiaceae) leaves.

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.