Distinguishing features

Female fully winged, or with wings variably reduced in length. Body brown; tarsi paler; tibiae variable, from entirely pale with dark margins to only base paler; antennae pale brown; basal half of segments III–V (and VI) yellow; fore wings shaded; major setae brown. Head strongly constricted behind eyes, faintly sculptured; 1 pair of finely acute postocellar setae; postocular setae blunt to finely acute, shorter than distance between their bases; maxillary stylets about one-third of head width apart, retracted about halfway to postocular setae, often `V'-shaped; maxillary bridge faint. Antennal segment III with 3 sense cones, IV with 4 sense cones; III–V each with an elongate pedicel. Pronotum without sculpture; posteromarginal setae longest, finely acute; midlateral and epimeral setae shorter, blunt to acute; anteroangular and anteromarginal setae no longer than discal setae; prosternal basantra absent. Mesonotal lateral setae minute; mesopresternum broadly boat-shaped. Metathoracic sternopleural sutures present. Fore tarsus occasionally with inner margin expanded, but tooth not developed. Fore wing broader at base than at apex, with 3–9 duplicated cilia; major sub-basal setae acute, S1 and S3 the longest. Pelta elongate, with narrow lateral lobes; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae, curved on segment II but remainder sigmoid; tergite IX posteromarginal setae S1 blunt to acute, about half as long as tube; sternites II–VII each with a row of 4–9 discal setae. Females with reduced wings, mesonotum and metanotum broader; pelta less elongate.
Male aptera similar to female but smaller; antennal sense cones variable, III with 2 or 3 sense cones, IV with 2 or 3 but never 4, left and right of the same individual sometimes differ; ocelli often absent; occasionally a pair of long, acute setae at mid-vertex; fore tarsal tooth present; pronotum elongate, with a longitudinal median apodeme; mesopresternum almost entirely eroded; pelta variable in size and shape; tergites II–VII each with 2 pairs of short, curved wing-retaining setae; tergite IX setae S2 short, stout; sternite VIII with a transverse pore plate.

Related species

The genus Psalidothrips comprises 28 described species, all from tropical countries. However, there is a series of undescribed species in Australia, and the three members of the genus recorded from New Zealand are closely related to these Australian species. P. tane is similar to P. moeone in lacking a large pair of postocellar setae, but the male has a more extensive pore plate on sternite VIII, and this species seems to live on dead twigs rather than in leaf litter.

Biological data

Living on dead twigs, and feeding on fungal hyphae.

Distribution data

Known only from New Zealand (ND, AK, TK / SD).

Family name

PHLAEOTHRIPIDAE, PHLAEOTHRIPINAE

Species name

Psalidothrips tane Mound & Walker

Original name and synonyms

Psalidothrips tane Mound & Walker, 1986: 75

References

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