FNZ 10 - Tubulifera (Insecta: Thysanoptera) - Introduction
Mound, LA; Walker, AK 1986. Tubulifera (Insecta: Thysanoptera). Fauna of New Zealand 10, 144 pages.
(
ISSN 0111-5383 (print),
;
ISBN 0-477-06784-0 (print),
).
Published 22 Sep 1986
ZooBank: http://zoobank.org/References/0C947CDE-29D0-411A-8AB1-E16C06255989
Introduction
Until recently the Thysanoptera fauna of New Zealand was considered to be largely introduced, and to include only a small endemic element. The most recent checklist (Wise 1977) recorded 34 species (22 Terebrantia, 12 Tubulifera), of which only 10 were native (4 Terebrantia, 6 Tubulifera). In contrast, with the publication of this contribution, 59 species are recognised as having been introduced, but a further 60 species are either clearly endemic to New Zealand or at least not known from elsewhere. This endemic fauna has proved to contain a number of taxa that are interesting from the zoogeographic and phylogenetic points of view. Moreover, variation in structure between populations of endemics, particularly in the Phlaeothripidae discussed here, has posed exceptionally complex and interesting taxonomic problems.
The first volume in the Fauna series (Mound & Walker 1982c) provided an introduction to the order Thysanoptera, together with keys to the 51 species of the suborder Terebrantia known from New Zealand. The present volume, based on a study of over 6000 specimens from the New Zealand subregion, deals with the other suborder, the Tubulifera, and includes keys to the 68 known species in 29 genera. Most of these feed on fungi and live on dead twigs and branches or in leaf litter. Only a few species are commonly noticed, including some of economic importance. Most are cryptic in their habits, and must be searched for carefully or extracted from plant debris with a Tullgren funnel. However, some fungus-feeding species are occasionally abundant, and several exhibit interesting patterns of allometric growth and sexual dimorphism which are probably related to inter-sexual display and male/male combat (Crespi 1986a, b).