Scirtothrips quercus, Pal & Patidar & Panjaliya & Kumar & Tyagi, 2023

Pal, Shash, Patidar, Abhishek, Panjaliya, Rakesh Kumar, Kumar, Vikas & Tyagi, Kaomud, 2023, Species of the genus Scirtothrips from India (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), Zootaxa 5306 (3), pp. 392-396 : 393-395

Scirtothrips quercus sp.n.

( Figs 1–11 )

Female macroptera. Body yellow including legs with brown markings on pronotum, anterior part of mesonotum and unguitractor plates; antennal segment I pale; segments II–VIII brown; fore wings brown with apex paler ( Fig. 1 ). Head broader than long with transverse striations; ocellar setae III located between fore and hind ocelli, close to fore ocelli; with four pairs of postocular setae, poI and poII longer, poIII minute ( Fig. 3 ). Antennae 8-segmented; III and IV each with forked sense cone ( Fig. 10 ); II–VI with rows of microtrichia. Pronotum broader than long with 12 discal setae, pmII two times longer than pmIII, but pmI subequal to pmIII ( Fig. 3 ); Mesonotum with transverse striations, anteromedian campaniform sensilla absent, median pair of setae far away from posterior margin; metanotum reticulate ( Fig. 3 ), median pair of setae located on anterior margin, campaniform sensilla absent; fore wing first vein with 9 setae, second vein with 3 setae, clavus with four veinal setae and one discal seta with apical seta longest, posterior fringes straight but wavy at tips ( Fig. 9 ). Abdominal tergites II–VII with setae S1 small, closer together than their length, lateral microtrichial field of abdominal tergites with 3 discal setae ( Fig. 7 ), tergite VIII with few microtrichia anteromedially and posteromarginal comb complete ( Fig. 5 ); tergite IX without microtrichia; antecostal ridge on tergites and sternites III–VIII dark; sternites with microtrichia restricted to lateral areas only and absent in middle ( Fig. 8 ).

Measurements. (Holotype female in microns). Body length 1007. Head length (width across cheeks) 91 (111); compound eye dorsal length (width) 59 (35); pronotum median length (width) 81 (145). Fore wing length 569. Ovipositor length 163. Antenna segments I–VIII length (width): 23 (22), 34 (24), 39 (18), 40 (17), 38 (16), 38 (15), 7 (6), 11 (4).

Male macroptera. Similar to female except pale yellow body ( Figs 2, 4 ). Antennal segments I–II pale; III–VIII brown ( Fig. 11 ). Abdominal tergite IX with drepanae ( Fig. 6 ). Abdominal sternites without pore plate.

Measurements (Male paratype in microns): Body length 681. Head length (width across cheeks) 64 (99); compound eye dorsal length (width) 44 (36); pronotum median length (width) 68 (111). Fore wing length 443. Antennal segments I–VIII length (width): 18 (19), 29 (20), 31 (15), 33 (14), 29 (14), 33 (13), 5 (6), 9 (3)

Material studied. Holotype female, INDIA, Uttarakhand, Almora , (N29.57, E79.48, 1601 m) on Quercus sp. ( Fagaceae ), 11.iii.2020, (Reg. No. 12700/H17), Tyagi and Patidar (in NZC, Kolkata, India).

Paratypes: 27 females, 2 males, all from same locality as holotype (Reg. No. 11311/H17 to 11336/H17,12701/H17 to 12703/H17); INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Mandi (N31.97, E76.84, 1425 m), two females from general vegetation, 15.x.2013, Kumar and Tyagi (Reg. No.6517/H17, 6518/H17); Mandi (N31.43, E77.07, 2022 m), 4 females on general vegetation, 05.vi.2014, Kumar and Tyagi (Reg. No.6519/H17 to 6522/H17); Mandi (N31.42, E77.07, 1925 m), one female on fern, 04.vi.2014, Kumar and Tyagi (Reg. No.6523/H17) (in NZC, Kolkata, India); INDIA, Jammu & Kashmir, Chassana, Reasi (N33.21, E74.44, 1220 m), one female on Coriandrum sativum (Apiaceae) , 19.iv.2022, Pal (Reg. No. 12368/H17); Paikul, Doda, (N33.06, E75.51, 1720 m), 4 females on Cucumis sativus (Cucurbitaceae) , 9.viii.2022, Pal (Reg. No. 12704/H17 to 12707/H17) (in NZC, Kolkata, India).

Etymology: The species is named after the Quercus sp.

Comments. According to the key to Scirtothrips species from India, this new species is very close to S. kenyensis Mound. They can be distinguished by the following character states: ocellar III between the fore and hind ocelli (close together on tangent between anterior margins of hind ocelli); head and ocellar triangle without brown shading (head anterior margin and ocellar triangle with shading in kenyensis ); fore wing posteromarginal cilia straight but tips wavy (completely straight in kenyensis ); tergite II–IX without shading medially (with shading medially in kenyensis ); pmII two times longer than pmIII (pmII three times longer than pmIII in kenyensis ); fore wing first vein with 9 setae with 3+3+1+1+1 arrangement (8 setae with 3+2+1+1+ 1 in kenyensis ).

Further, this species is close to S. dobroskyi Moulton but it can be differentiated by ocellar III located between fore and hind ocelli (between hind ocelli in dobroskyi ); pmII two times longer than pmI (3 times in dobroskyi ), fore wing posteromarginal cilia straight, wavy at tips (straight in dobroskyi ), tergite VIII with few rows of microtrichia medially near to anterior margin (absent in dobroskyi ), tergite IX without microtrichia (weak in dobroskyi ).

According to available keys to species of genus Scirtothrips from Australia and Africa, the new species is similar to Scirtothrips longipennis (Bagnall) , and shares the position of ocellar setae III, colour of fore wings, and tergal antecostal ridges. The new species differs from longipennis by the following characters: antennal segment II brown (II yellow in longipennis ); pronotum with very close striations (wide apart in longipennis ); clavus with 4 veinal setae (3 in longipennis ); fore wing posteromarginal cilia straight, wavy at tips (wavy in longipennis ); tergite VIII with few rows of microtrichia medially (absent in longipennis ); tergite IX without microtrichia medially (with microtrichia in longipennis ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–11. Scirtothrips quercus sp.n. (1) Whole body, female; (2) Whole body, male; (3) Head–metanotum, female; (4) Head–metanotum, male; (5) Tergites VII–X, female; (6) Tergites VIII–X with drepanae, male; (7) Tergites III–VI, female; (8); Sternites III–VIII, female; (9) Forewing, female; (10) Antenna, female; (11) Antenna, male.