New records and four new species of Australian Thripidae (Thysanoptera) emphasise faunal relationships between northern Australia and Asia

Abstract

The following Thripidae taxa are newly recorded from northern Australia, and details are given for their recognition from related taxa: Oxythrips australopalmae sp. n., a likely pollinator of Normanbyia and Archontophoenix in Queensland but also taken on Cocos male flowers in New Britain; Projectothrips beverlyae sp. n. from Pandanus flowers; Rhamphothrips cissus sp. n. from the leaves of Cissus antarctica; R. amyae sp. n. from Callistemon leaves; R. tenuirostris (Karny) from Uncaria lanosai leaves; R. pandens Sakimura from Cassytha leaves; and Tusothrips setiprivus (Karny). Trichromothrips xanthius (Williams) is removed from the Australian list. Tusothrips atrichotus Reyes from the Philippines is synonymised with the widespread Asian species T. teinostomus Okajima. The previously unknown male of Rhamphothrips pandens is described from Western Australia.