Memoirs of the Queensland Museum | Nature 55(2) The IBISCA-Queensland Project © The State of Queensland (Queensland Museum) 2011 PO Box 3300, South Brisbane 4101, Australia Phone 06 7 3840 7555 Fax 06 7 3846 1226 Email [email protected] Website www.qm.qld.gov.au National Library of Australia card number ISSN 0079-8835 NOTE Papers published in this volume and in all previous volumes of the Memoirs of the Queensland Museum may be reproduced for scientific research, individual study or other educational purposes. Properly acknowledged quotations may be made but queries regarding the republication of any papers should be addressed to the Editor in Chief. Copies of the journal can be purchased from the Queensland Museum Shop. A Guide to Authors is displayed at the Queensland Museum web site A Queensland Government Project Typeset at the Queensland Museum Thysanoptera of Lamington National Park, Australia, collected during the IBISCA-Queensland Project Desley J. TREE Queensland Primary Industries Insect Collection (QDPC), Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Ecosciences Precinct, GPO Box 267, Brisbane Qld 4001, Australia. Email: [email protected] Laurence A. MOUND CSIRO Entomology, PO Box 1700, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia. Citation: Tree, D.J. & Mound, L.A. 2011 12 20: Thysanoptera of Lamington National Park, Australia, collected during the IBISCA-Queensland Project. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature 55(2): 349-358. Brisbane. ISSN 0079-8835. ABSTRACT We documented species of thrips (Thysanoptera) collected during the IBISCA- Queensland Project, an altitudinal study in subtropical rainforest at Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia. Thrips were identified from samples collected by four methods, leaf litter extracts, Malaise traps, flight interception traps and yellow pan traps, conducted at four plots at each of five altitudinal zones (300, 500, 700, 900 and 1100 metres above sea level) in October 2006 and January and March 2007. A total of 61 thrips species from three families were recorded from these samples. An additional 20 species were recorded from Lamington National Park by targeted collecting for thrips, mostly beating live and dead foliage and branches, bringing the total thrips fauna to 81 species. Biogeographically, the most interesting record was a new species breeding in the flowers of Pentaceras australis, Cranothrips ibisca, the only eastern species in a western and arid zone genus. Thysanoptera, Aeolothripidae, Melanthripidae, Thripidae, Phlaeothripidae, IBISCA-Queensland, altitude. The IBISCA-Queensland project was designed of thrips (Thysanoptera) collected by this to document the current distributions of a baseline sampling as well as additional species range of invertebrate taxa and plants along collected by targeted hand collecting on the an altitudinal gradient within continuous IBISCA-Queensland study plots and elsewhere rainforest in Lamington National Park, south- in the Green Mountains Section of Lamington east Queensland (see Kitching et al. 2011). National Park. Twenty permanent study plots were established The Thysanoptera, the insect order commonly within the West Canungra Creek catchment of known as thrips, includes almost 800 described the Green Mountains Section of the park; four species from Australia (ABRS 2011), out of replicate plots at each of five zones of elevation a world total of about 6000 species (Mound (300, 500, 700, 900 and 1100 metres above sea 2011). However, judging from slide-mounted level (a.s.l.)) (see Kitching et al. 2011 for precise species available in collections at Canberra and localities of plots). Between October 2006 and Brisbane, it seems likely that an equal number March 2007 baseline sampling of invertebrates of species remain undescribed from Australia. was conducted on these plots using a variety of Estimating the potential size of this fauna is sampling methods. Here we report on species difficult, as thrips populations are commonly Memoirs of the Queensland Museum | Nature 2011 55(2) www.qm.qld.gov.au 349 Tree & Mound strongly aggregated. As a result, standardised Each litter sample was derived from 1 litre collecting methods based on randomised sam- of unsifted leaf litter collected from a single pling usually acquire few specimens, although location within the central quadrat of each of a considerable diversity of species. However, plot and extracted with a Tullgren funnel for 6 most thrips species are polymorphic to some days. Each Malaise trap sample was collected extent, and many species are highly polymorphic, with a Townes type trap operated for 10 days such that identification of isolated individuals (see Lambkin et al. 2011 for more details). Each is not possible. Hand-collecting by specialists FIT sample was obtained from a single trap is a more effective method of acquiring large operated for 10 days. Each flight interception samples from strongly aggregated populations, trap consisted of a vertical rectangular panel and has the advantage of producing valuable (66 cm x 70 cm) of layers of plastic kitchen wrap data on host-plant associations and structural above a rectangular collecting container (14 variation. But specialist collecting is limited cm x 66 cm) raised above ground level and by constraints of time and number of localities filled with propylene glycol. Each yellow pan sampled. In attempting to contribute to the trap sample consisted of three rectangular objectives of IBISCA-Queensland Project (see plastic food containers (approximately 165 mm Kitching et al. 2011), we compromised between x 110 mm) placed on ground within the central the above sampling methods. The yield of quadrat and operated for three days. Catches specimens from within the twenty IBISCA- from the three traps pooled into one sample. Queensland study plots was far too low to In addition to the baseline collecting methods, produce generalisations (Table 1 & 2), and time we conducted targeted collecting for thrips and space limited the amount of hand collecting on 9-11 October 2006 and 12-13 March 2007. that could be achieved. Here we list the thrips This mainly involved hand collecting by species found at Lamington National Park based beating living foliage and flowers, and dead on our own collecting and available IBISCA- leaves and branches over a white plastic tray. Queensland samples. In addition we collected a few thrips from leaf litter and by spraying tree trunks with METHODS pyrethroid insecticide. Some of this additional hand collecting was undertaken on the IBISCA- We examined thrips that had been extracted Qld study plots at 900, 700 and 300 m a.s.l., but from samples collected by four of the IBISCA- we also collected in rainforest along walking Queensland baseline sampling methods; tracks (Border, Elabana Falls, Wishing Tree and Tullgren funnel leaf litter extracts, Malaise Moran Falls Tracks) mostly between 700 and traps, flight interception traps (FIT) and yellow 950 m a.s.l. We also collected in open areas in pan traps. A single sample from each method the vicinity of O’Reilly’s Rainforest Resort and was collected from all twenty IBISCA-Qld the Green Mountains camping and parking areas. study plots (4 plots at each elevation, 300, 500, 700, 900 and 1100 m a.s.l.) on three occasions, Adult specimens from nearly all collections October 2006, January 2007 and March 2007 (see were slide-mounted and identified to described Kitching et al. 2011 for more details). Samples species and genera where possible. Specimens were collected from within a permanent 20 m have been deposited in the Queensland Primary x 20 m quadrat established in the centre each Industries Insect Collection (QDPC), Brisbane plot. In total 132 samples containing thrips and the Australian National Insect Collection were examined. (ANIC), Canberra. 350 Memoirs of the Queensland Museum | Nature 2011 55(2) Thysanoptera from IBISCA-Queensland RESULTS is usually not possible to identify unassociated larvae and pupae of thrips species. Overall, 211 adult thrips and 45 immature thrips were present in a total of 132 IBISCA- Biogeographically there were few surprises in Qld baseline samples examined (16 leaf litter the fauna, although the IBISCA-Qld sites seemed extracts, 31 Malaise, 34 FIT, 51 yellow pan, Table to sit on the border between the southern and 1). Unfortunately adult thrips were uncommon northern thrips faunas of eastern Australia. The in samples; only 3 of the 132 samples contained most significant record was a new species of more than 5 adults (the maximum was 8 in a Melanthripidae, Cranothrips ibisca Pereyra & flight interception trap), with many containing Mound, breeding in the flowers of Pentaceras only single specimens. Also, nine adult thrips australis (Rutaceae). This genus is found mainly collected from these traps were too damaged in the west and centre of Australia, and this is to identify, however, the other 202 adult thrips the first record from the east of the continent. represented 61 species from 3 families. Malaise traps collected the greatest diversity of species Individual baseline sampling methods and leaf litter showed the least diversity species. Leaf litter extracts. Of the 16 leaf litter extracts, Flight interception traps collected the highest 59% contained ≤ 1 adult thrips, 35% between numbers of adult thrips with leaf litter extracts 2 and 5 adults, and 6% more than 5 adults. yielding the lowest numbers (Table 1). Additional Nearly all specimens, includ ing larvae were targeted collecting of thrips from IBISCA-Qld collected at the lower altitudes of 300 and plots and elsewhere yielded 41 species, including 500 m a.s.l. (Table 2). Only one thrips family 20 not collected by the baseline sampling methods. was collected in leaf litter, the Phlaeothripidae Therefore, combined baseline and targeted (Idolothripinae and Phlaeo thripinae). One collecting methods yielded a total of 81 thrips species of Idolothripinae was collected, Allothrips species from 4 families from Lamington National stannardi, and this is common in leaf litter in Park, including 11 species unrecognisable at eastern Australia (Mound 1972).