Psalidothrips minantennus Wang & Mound & Tree 2019, sp.n.

Psalidothrips minantennus sp.n.

(Figs 10, 27, 33, 41)

Female aptera. Body yellowish brown with head darkest, but some specimens almost uniformly yellow; legs and antennal segments III–VIII yellow, but I–II shaded brown. Head without sculpture, genae scarcely constricted behind eyes, compound eyes with three facets; postocular setae acute, longer than half the distance between their bases; ocelli absent; postocellar setae acute, as long as distance between their bases. Maxillary stylets wide apart, retracted almost to postocular setae (Fig. 10). Antennal segment III without sense cones, IV with 2 sense cones, segments III–VII each with pedicel, VIII with base narrowed, III longer than IV, VIII a little longer than VII (Fig. 33). Pronotum without sculpture or median apodeme; all setae acute and long. Mesonotum weakly reticulate; metanotum without sculpture (Fig. 10). Fore tarsal tooth absent. Pelta faintly sculptured, strongly eroded and separate from anterior margin of tergite II (Fig. 41); tergites II–VII with wing-retaining setae small and straight, median setae acute and longer than median length of their tergite; tergite IX setae S1 much longer tube, anal setae as long as tube.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1822. Head, length 153; width 138; postocular setae 82, distance between their bases 104; postocellar setae 26, distance between their bases 49. Pronotum, length 128; median width 226; major setae am 39, aa 26, ml 77, epim 100, pa 94. Mesonotum posteromarginal setae 24; Metanotum median setae 63. Tergite IV median marginal setae 90; tergite VIII median setae 71, tergite IX setae S1 146, S2 153. Tube length 121; anal setae 141. Antennal segments III–VIII length 36, 33, 37, 36, 34, 37.

Male aptera. Pronotum without median apodeme; fore tarsus without tooth; sternite VIII with slender, transverse pore plate, extending to lateral margins of sternite (Fig. 27).

Measurements (in microns). Body length 1360. Head, length 121; width 138; postocular setae68, postocellar setae 36. Pronotum, length 105; median width 223; major setae am 34, aa 32, ml 63, epim 77, pa 68. Tergite VIII median setae 56. Tergite IX setae S1 111, S2 71. Tube length 97; anal setae 107. Antennal segments III–VIII length 34, 31, 34, 34, 34, 39.

Specimens studied. Holotype female aptera, Victoria, Lake Hattah, leaf litter in Mallee, 27.x.1967 (E.B. Britton), in ANIC.

Paratypes: 6 females collected with holotype; South Australia, Cambrai, Meat Ant Dune, 5 females from leaf litter, 15–18.x.1972. Queensland, 7 miles northeast of Bell, 2 females, 2 males from Acacia leaf litter, 17.viii.1968.

Non-paratypes: New South Wales, 2 ml east of Putty, 3 females, 1 male from Eucalyptus leaf litter, 29.vi.1968.

Comments. The non-paratypic specimens have one small sense on antennal segment III, and segment VIII is slightly less slender than in the type series. However, segment VIII is variable in the type series, being slightly less slender in males than in females. This species is generally similar to apterae of taylori, but has unusually short antennae, segment III without a sense cone, a conspicuous pair of long median setae on tergites II–VII, and sternite VIII of males with a complete transverse pore plate.