Heligmothrips narrabri Mound & Tree & Wells 2022, sp.n.

Heligmothrips narrabri sp.n.

(Figs 58, 61, 66)

Female macroptera. Body, legs and antennae brown, tarsi and basal stem of antennal segment III yellowish brown; major setae pale, fore wing very weakly shaded. With the character states given in the generic diagnosis, except as follows: head slightly wider than long, genae without prominent setae; postocular setae capitate, extending to hind margin of eyes; eyes smaller ventrally than dorsally; hind ocelli close to eyes; maxillary stylets retracted almost to eyes but not crossing over each other (Fig. 58), with one simple flexure before entering mouth cone; mouth cone pointed and extending across prosternal ferna. Antennal segments not elongate, III about twice as long as wide with one sense cone small, IV with 2 sense cones. Pronotum transverse, with weak sculpture medially (Fig. 58); major setae short, pale and capitate. Mesonotal lateral setae capitate. Metanotum fully but not strongly reticulate, each reticle with a small median dot; median setae finely pointed (Fig. 61). Prosternal ferna slender and transverse; mesopresternum complete but slender, mesoeusternum anterior margin straight (Fig. 66). Fore tarsal tooth small. Fore wing without duplicated cilia. Pelta broadly triangular, apex truncate (Fig. 61); tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae of which the anterior pair is small on each tergite, both pairs reduced on II and VII; tergite IX with all 3 major setae long and capitate; tube shorter than head.

Measurements. Body length 1550. Head, length 150; width medially 155; po setae 20. Pronotum, length 125; width 220; major setae – am 20, aa 25, ml 20, epim 20, pa 25. Fore wing length 600; sub-basal setae 20. Tergite IX setae S1 60, S2 60. Tube, basal width 60, length 110. Antennal segments III–VIII length 45, 30, 45, 50, 50, 25.

Female microptera. Similar to macroptera but metanotum more transverse; fore wing lobes less than one-third of thorax width; pelta broader; tergal wing-retaining setae reduced.

Specimens studied. Holotype female macroptera, New South Wales: Narrabri 27km South, from Allocasuarina luehmannii, 21.v.2022 (Alice Wells) (LAM 6550).

Paratype New South Wales: 1 macroptera, 4 micropterae females, taken with holotype.

Comments. This is a distinctive species with a small marking between each metanotal reticle and fore wings without duplicated cilia. The condition of the maxillary stylets not crossing over each other is not unique within this genus, because it is also reported above for some individuals of brevidens as well as for the species below.