Body brown, with fore tibiae and all tarsi brownish yellow; antennomere I concolorous with head, II brown on basal two thirds and yellow at apex, III–IV yellow, V yellow weakly shaded with brown, VI yellow basally and light brown on apical half, VII–VIII light brown; fore wings shaded brown with base darker; major body setae light brown. Head length and width behind eyes subequal, dorsal surface with weak transverse lines of sculpture, sometimes forming elongated reticles; postocular setae shorter than the width of a compound eye, with weakly expanded tips; maxillary stylets parallel and less than 1/5 of head width apart; mouth cone pointed. Antennae 8-segmented, III–IV with three sense cones each. Pronotum with striate sculpture posteriorly and weakly defined marginally, notopleural sutures incomplete but long; 5 pairs of major pronotal setae, one pair on epimeral region; anteromarginal setae with acute to weakly expanded apexes, remaining major setae with weakly capitate tips. Mesonotal sculpture formed by irregular reticles medially, elongated anterolaterally, without internal markings. Metanotum with 2 pairs of anterior discal setae and one median major pair; sculptured with elongated reticles almost forming a striate pattern, with internal markings. Fore tarsal hamus small. Fore wings with about 8–10 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular to almost bell-shaped, one pair of campaniform sensilla present; sculpture formed by equiangular reticles medially, elongated laterally, without internal markings. Abdominal tergites with irregular reticles medially and elongated laterally, II–VII with three pairs of wing-retaining setae. Both sexes macropterous.
Females bear a swollen spermatheca. Males are unknown.
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 spermathecus has some similarities with species like H. erianthi and H. maiae, being distinguished from them by the metanotal sculpture not closely striate, and female spermatheca being swollen medially.
This species induces leaf galls in Myrciaria floribunda (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.
Published in: 23/06/2020 Posted by: Mariana Lindner
