Distinguishing features

Female microptera. Body mainly brown, tube darkest, fore tarsi and apex of fore tibiae slightly paler; antennal segment III pale at extreme base; major setae pale brown. Head about as long as tube, longer than wide, faintly sculptured; ocelli small; postocular setae long, finely acute; 1 pair of small postocellar setae; 1 pair of longer, curved preocellar setae. Antennae 8-segmented; segments III and IV each with 2 sense cones, VII and VIII broadly joined. Pronotum finely sculptured on anterior and posterior margins; major setae (except anteromarginals) long, finely pointed; prosternal basantra absent; mesopresternum heavily eroded. Mesonotum transverse; metanotum broad, with weak reticulation. Fore tarsal tooth small, projecting forward. Wing lobe about as wide as long, bearing 1 long seta. Pelta with large median lobe and elongate lateral lobes; tergite II with lateral margins eroded and posteroangular setae absent, but with 1 pair of long posteromarginal setae; tergal setae long, finely pointed; tergites II–VII each with 1 pair of curved wing-retaining setae; tergite IX posteromarginal setae nearly as long as tube; tube with sides slightly concave in basal third, sharply constricted at apex. Fully winged female similar to microptera, fore wings shaded brown; ocelli well developed; fore wings with 24 or 25 duplicated cilia and 2 major, bluntly pointed sub-basal setae.
Male not known.

Related species

Eight species are listed in this genus, of which five are from New Zealand, two from South Africa and one from Saudi Arabia. H. cottieri is distinguished from its New Zealand congeners by the dark, relatively heavy tube. The South African species H. magnifica differs from H. cottieri in having the tube golden-brown and the preocellar setae stout.

Biological data

Feeding by imbibing fungal spores, this species has been collected from dead branches, under bark, in hollow twigs, and from leaf litter.

Distribution data

Known only from the South Island, New Zealand (NN, BR, DN).

Family name

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, IDOLOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Heptathrips cottieri Mound & Walker

Original name and synonyms

Heptathrips cottieri Mound & Walker, 1986: 24

References

Mound LA & Palmer JM (1983) The generic and tribal classification of spore-feeding Thysanoptera (Phlaeothripidae: Idolothripinae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 46: 1–174.

Mound LA & Walker AK (1986) Tubulifera (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Fauna of New Zealand 10: 1–140.