Distinguishing features

Female apterous; antennae 8-segmented, sensorium on III small, circular and lens-shaped but on IV often transversely oval; Head smaller than pronotum, vertex with pair of long ocellar setae; compound eyes with 10–12 facets. Pronotum trapezoidal, paired longitudinal sutures laterally, one pair of long posteroangular setae. Mesonotum, metanotum and tergites with no lines of sculpture. Tergite IX median setae shorter than sub-median pair; tergite X trichobothria smaller than spiracle on tergite VIII, axial seta short or absent.
Male similar, but vertex developed as extensive pore plate; fore legs enlarged with pointed tubercle at inner apex of tibia; mesonotum, metanotum and tergites with several transverse lines of sculpture.

Related species

The genus Merothrips currently comprises 15 species, most being from the Neotropics (Mound & O'Neill, 1974), with a further three species known only from fossils (ThripsWiki, 2020). In M. brunneus the trichobothria on tergite X are unusually small, whereas they are absent in M. meridionalis from southern Brazil, a species previously misidentified as M. mirus that was considered similar to brunneus (Cavalleri et al., 2019). In contrast to floridensis females of brunneus are generally darker, with more protuberant eyes each comprising 10–12 facets, and the sensorium on antennal segment III is small and circular.

Biological data

Breeding on dead leaves and dead branches, and presumably fungus-feeding.

Distribution data

Described from New Zealand, this species has also been seen from Australia (Brisbane and Canberra), New Caledonia, and Costa Rica. It has also been recorded from the Amsterdam and St Paul Islands in the southern Indian Ocean, but possibly originated in South America (Mound & Walker, 1982; Mound & Marullo, 1996).

Family name

MEROTHRIPIDAE

Species name

Merothrips brunneus Ward

Original name and synonyms

Merothrips brunneus Ward, 1969: 362

References

Cavalleri A, Lindner MF & O’Donnell CA (2019) Merothrips meridionalis sp.n. (Thysanoptera: Merothripidae), a new fungivorous species from subtropical South America. Zootaxa 4668 (2): 277–282.

Mound LA & Marullo R (1996) The Thrips of Central and South America: An Introduction. Memoirs on Entomology, International 6: 1–488.

Mound LA & O'Neill K (1974) Taxonomy of the Merothripidae, with ecological and phylogenetic considerations (Thysanoptera). Journal of Natural History 8: 481–509.

Mound LA & Walker AK (1982) Terebrantia (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Fauna of New Zealand 1: 1–113.

Pereyra, V. (2011) Phylogenetic analysis of the small fungivorous family Merothripidae (Thysanoptera). Insect Systematics & Evolution 42 (4): 385–409.

ThripsWiki (2020) ThripsWiki - providing information on the World's thrips. Available from: http://thrips.info/wiki/Main_Page [accessed 29.x.2019].