Holopothrips varicolor Lindner, Ferrari, Mound & Cavalleri, 2018: 91.

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_varicolor

Diagnosis

Body light brown to brownish yellow, femora light brown with paler apex, all tarsi yellow; antennomere I concolorous with head, II light brown basally and yellow on apical half, III–IV yellow, V–VI yellow on basal half and shaded apically, VII–VIII light brown; fore wings yellowish, darker at base; body major setae yellow. Head length and width behind eyes subequal, sometimes slightly wider than long, dorsal surface with weak transverse lines of sculpture; postocular setae shorter than the width of a compound eye, with capitate apexes; maxillary stylets parallel and about 1/5 of head width apart; mouth cone pointed. Antennae 8-segmented, III–IV with three elongated sense cones each. Pronotum weakly striate posteriorly, notopleural sutures incomplete; 5 pairs of major pronotal setae, one pair on epimeral region; anteromarginal setae small or reduced with weakly expanded apexes, remaining major setae well developed with capitate tips. Mesonotum with transverse lines of sculpture enclosing few irregular reticles, almost equiangular posteriorly, without internal markings. Metanotum with 2–4 anterior discal setae and one median major pair; sculpture with irregular reticles forming a concentric pattern anteromedially, elongated posteriorly, without internal markings. Fore tarsal hamus small. Fore wings with about 7–10 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular with irregular margins, one pair of campaniform sensilla present; sculpture formed by small irregular reticles medially, elongated laterally, without internal markings. Abdominal tergites weakly reticulated, IV–VII sometimes with three pairs of wing-retaining setae, or the third seta only on one side. Both sexes macropterous.

Females bear a swollen spermatheca. Males are slightly smaller, with reticulated pore plates on sternites V–VIII: two anteroangular plates, with sternite VIII also bearing a median transverse band.

Intraspecific variation

Body colour seems to vary from brown to almost yellow between specimens. 

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 varicolor shares similarities in the shape of head and position of maxillary stylets with H. maiae and H. spermathecus, being differentiated from them by the metanotal sculpture formed by irregular and weakly defined reticles. 

World distribution

Brazil.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/197509 

Life history

This species induces leaf galls in Neomitranthes obscura (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.