Pseudanaphothrips querci (Moulton)

Pseudanaphothrips querci (Moulton) View in CoL

( Figs 5 View FIGURES 1–9 , 12, 17 View FIGURES 10–17 , 26 View FIGURES 18–26 , 33 View FIGURES 27–34 )

Isochaetothrips querci Moulton, 1928: 306 View in CoL

This species was described from a single female taken at Taihoku , “Formosa” [ Taiwan], on Quercus View in CoL , 10.v.1920. It was subsequently recorded by Bhatti (1978), but apparently based on the original description, from 13 females in flowers at various sites near Surabaya , Java , between 1912–1913 and 1920–1923. The holotype was not studied here, but Christopher Grinter , Collection Manager at the California Academy of Sciences , kindly provided images of that specimen ( Fig. 5 View FIGURES 1–9 ). The only other known specimens of the species are identified here based on this illustration and the available descriptions. These specimens are all from southwestern Australia: Pemberton , 15 females, 6 males from grass and Agonis View in CoL flowers, 13.xii.1999; Porongurup , 5 females in Malaise trap, xi.2003 (in ANIC), also Perth, Dalkieth, 5 females from Gerbera View in CoL flowers, 8.xii.1955 (in NHM) .

Both Moulton (1928) and Sakimura (1968) went to considerable effort to compare the holotype of this species with uniformis , primarily because these are both extensively brown in colour. However, Sakimura pointed out that in querci tergite X is 55 microns long, in contrast to uniformis in which tergite X is 70 to 80 microns long. This difference in length is consistent in the more recently collected specimens. It seems that in Australia querci is known only from the south of Western Australia. However, there remains a possibility that querci is no more than a colour variant of parvus , with which it shares a similar posteromarginal comb on tergite VIII ( Figs 32, 33 View FIGURES 27–34 ). However, such a synonymy cannot be confirmed from the available specimens. The male remains unknown.