Apelaunothrips bogor

Mound, Laurence A., 2013, Species diversity in the Palaeotropical leaf-litter genus Apelaunothrips (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae), Zootaxa 3741 (1), pp. 181-193 : 189

Apelaunothrips consimilis (Ananthakrishnan)

( Figs 3 , 17 )

Described from India, this species was redescribed and recorded by Okajima (1979) from Peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia (Obi Is.), Taiwan, and southern Japan (Ishigaki and Iriomote Is.). However, Okajima pointed out that there was variation between these samples in colour of the tibiae and shape of the pelta. This is one of a group of species in which the sculpture on the vertex is essentially of transverse lines or narrow reticulations ( Fig. 3 ). Females in the series from Tjibodas listed below have the mid and hind tibiae largely dark brown, whereas most of the females listed from Bogor have the mid and hind tibiae yellow, and the females from sites in Malaysia have the mid-tibiae bicoloured but the hind tibiae yellow. All available males have yellow tibiae, regardless of the tibial colour of associated females. Specimens in the sample from Tjibodas lack campaniform sensilla on the pelta, but these sensilla are present in the specimens from Bogor and also from sites in Malaysia. Okajima (1984) referred to two un-named species from several sites on Luzon and Mindanao, the Philippines, that are clearly part of the consimilis complex. Currently there is no way of deciding how many species might be represented within this complex. The mesonotal lateral setae of consimilis are very short, and this character state is shared with several other species, whereas in aokii , medioflavus , tasmani and zonatus the mesonotal lateral setae are elongate and capitate.

Specimens studied. Indonesia, Java, Tjibodas Botanic Gardens, 14 females, 5 males from dead leafy branch, 23.x.1973; Bogor Botanic Gardens, 24 females, 10 males, 26.x.1973 (LAM). Peninsular Malaysia, Ringlet, 1 female, 2 males from dead branch, 12.x.1973; Gombak , 2 females from bead branch, 5.x.1973; Genting Highlands, 1 female from dead leaves, 14.x.1973; Damansara Reserve, 1 female from dead leaves, 3.x.1973 (in The Natural History Museum, London).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Apelaunothrips species, head & pronotum. (1) aokii; (2) bogor sp. n.; (3) consimilis; (4) gombak sp. n.

FIGURES 16 – 22. Apelaunothrips species, antennae. (16) bogor sp. n.; (17) consimilis; (18) desleyae sp. n.; (19) flavicornis; (20) gombak sp. n.; (21) madrasensis; (22) medioflavus.