New Australian spore-feeding Thysanoptera (Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae)
Author
Mound, Laurence A.
text
Zootaxa
2007
1604
53
68
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.178750
6345e063-700a-4e8f-8837-e927de18ec8f
1175-5326
178750
Priesneriella citricauda
Hood
(
Fig. 18
)
Priesneriella citricauda
Hood, 1927
: 199
Until now, this species has been known only from apterae collected in Santa Clara County, California (
Cott, 1956
). In contrast, it is here recorded from four different sites in the north west of Western
Australia
. The specimens listed by
Cott (1956)
from California have been re-examined, and they are considered to represent the same species as the Australian specimens that include apterae of both sexes, as well as female micropterae and one female macroptera. Three specimens taken near Broome have the posteroangular setae on tergites VI–VIII weakly capitate and shorter than the tergites, whereas in the Californian apterae these setae are finely acute and longer than each tergite. Similarly, the pronotal setae differ in form between these samples. Moreover, the apex of antennal segment V is truncate in the Broome individuals (
Fig. 18
), and there is a faint suture visible between segments VI and VII, whereas segment V is weakly constricted apically in the Californian specimens and segments VI–VII are fused with no suture present. Despite these differences, two specimens taken near Dampier are similar to Californian specimens in all character states, and one male from Barrow
Island
has the tergal posteroangular setae intermediate, being long but capitate. Interpopulation variation is to be expected in wingless species, and presumably the disjunct distribution represents another example of the transoceanic dispersal that has been recognised in several other fungus-feeding thrips (Mound, 1983). Furthermore, considering the variation in the Australian specimens, the species probably originally came from this continent.
Macropterae have not previously been recorded in this, nor most congeneric, species. The available macropterous female has parallel-sided forewings with no duplicated cilia, and tergites III–VII each have one pair of unusually elongate sigmoid wing-retaining setae.
Material studied. Western
Australia
; Broome,
1 female
aptera from lawn grass,
28.ii.2005
;
20km
east of Broome,
1 female
microptera from dead wood,
28.ii.2005
;
20km
east of Broome,
1 female
macroptera from
Cenchrus setiger
,
1.iii.2005
;
90km
south east of Dampier,
1 female
microptera,
1 male
aptera from
Acacia coriacea
,
23.ix.1995
; Barrow
Island
,
1 male
aptera,
v.2006
.