Franklinothrips oblongus, Masumoto & Okajima, 2019

Masumoto, Masami & Okajima, Shûji, 2019, Review of the Aeolothripidae (Thysanoptera) in Japan, Zootaxa 4564 (2), pp. 301-326 : 323-324

Franklinothrips oblongus sp. n.

( Figs 12 , 23 , 80–84 )

Female macroptera. Body uniformly dark brown ( Fig. 12 ) with red hypodermal pigments before KOH treatment, abdominal sternites III–VII with dark antecostal ridges; antennal segments I–II dark brown but yellowish at extreme apex of II, III yellow with extreme apex brown, IV–VI yellow with distal half brown, VII brown with base slightly yellowish, VIII–IX brown; fore wing with dark cross band medially and dark longitudinal band along posterior margin at base to apex of second vein, longitudinal band slightly exceeds second vein at base to cross vein and exceeds second vein to middle between median two longitudinal veins at distal third, median cross band not exceeding median costal cell anterior to first vein, clavus dark brown ( Fig. 23 ); hind wing weakly shaded along posterior margin ( Fig. 12 ); all femora and tibiae dark brown, tarsi brownish yellow; major setae dark. Head about 1.0 times as long as width, prolonged in front of eyes, weakly sculptured with transverse anastomosing striae at vertex; anteocellar setae 4 pairs, interocellar setae within ocellar triangle, 4 pairs of postocular setae irregularly arranged ( Fig. 80 ). Antennal segmentation often aberrant at distal 2–3 segments; segments III–IV with linear sensoria having discoidal markings ( Fig. 81 ). Antennal segments I–IX ratio length/width as follows: 1.1–1.2, 1.6– 1.8, 7.6–9.6, 6.1–7.1, 4.2–4.7, 2.3–2.9, 3.1, 2.0, 2.7. Pronotum almost smooth, with about 15 discal setae. Mesonotum largely smooth, with indistinct transverse striae anteriorly ( Fig. 82 ). Fore wing slightly tapering near apex, with microtrichia uniformly scattered at distal three-fourths, largely smooth between veins at basal onefourth ( Fig. 23 ); clavus without microtrichia. Abdominal segment I slightly narrow, but II–III widest and not constricted, segments IV–VIII slender ( Fig. 12 ); tergite I weakly sculptured; tergites II–VIII with antecostal line but only a few weak striae laterally, S1 setae mesad of median CPS, median CPS often absent or only one present on VIII; tergite IX with weak transverse anastomosing striae, about 1.7 times and 1.2 times as long as median length of tergite VIII and tergite X, respectively; tergite X with CPS far from posterior margin ( Fig. 83 ); sternites not sculptured ( Fig. 84 ).

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2690; head length 241, width 244, compound eye length 94, width 75; pronotal median length 173, width 243; metascutal median length 110; fore wing length 1240, width at middle 125; abdominal tergite IX length 170, tergite X length 140; ovipositor length 480. Antennal segments I–IX length (width) as follows: 53 (45), 58 (35), 193 (20), 150 (21), 105 (23), 70 (24), 70 (23), 35 (18), 20 (8).

Male. Unknown.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, JAPAN, Honshu, Kanagawa Pref., Yokosuka City, Kannonzaki, on leaves of Lithocarpus edulis [ Fagaceae ], 5.vi.2005, Masumoto. Paratypes: Same place as holotype: 1 female on leaf of Trachelospermum asiaticum [ Apocynaceae ], 28.v.2016. 24 females on leaf of Aucuba japonica [ Cornaceae ], 20.v.2018. 5 females on leaf of Aucuba japonica , 27.v.2018. 1 female on leaf of Pieris japonica [ Ericaceae ], 27.v.2018. all M. Masumoto. The holotype and most paratypes are deposited in TUA.

Remarks. This new species runs to strassseni described from Nepal in identification key of Mound and Reynaud (2005). These species are similar to each other in having the abdomen without a strong constriction at base, and the fore wing with a dark cross band near the veinal fork and a longitudinal dark band along posterior margin. However, this new species can be distinguished by the following character states: fore wing with basal pale area larger and apical ring vein pale, head almost as long as wide and not recessed into prothorax, abdomen widest at segments II–III and tergite IX much longer than tergite VIII, whereas in F. strasseni the fore wing apical ring vein is shaded, head much wider than long and recessed into prothorax, and abdomen widest at segment VI and tergites VIII and IX are subequal in length. According to this key, this new species may be keyed out as caballeroi described from Mexico, but caballeroi has ant-like body shape with strong basal constriction of abdomen and fore wings pale at base and middle, and dark at apex ( Johansen, 1980) as compared with a Taiwanese species suzukii by Mound and Reynaud (2005). Moreover, F. brunneicoris is also similar to this new species in the shape of head and abdomen but has uniformly dark antenna and more strongly prolonged head as indicated by Mound and Reynaud (2005).

Two further species were described subsequent to the paper by Mound and Reynaud (2005). F. tani from China is most similar to F. oblongus in fore wing coloration and head and body shape. However, F. tani has the following character states: antennal segment III 14.5 times as long as wide, hind wing dark along the posterior margin, abdominal tergites with S1 setae anterior to median CPS and tergite X with CPS near the posterior margin (Mirabbalou et al. 2011a), but in this new species antennal segment III about 8 times as long as wide, abdominal tergites with S1 setae between median CPS and tergite X with CPS far from posterior margin. An Indian species, F. uttarakhandiensis can easily be distinguished ftom F. oblongus by having ant-like abdomen and fore wing alternately with dark and pale bands ( Veer, 2010). Corynothripoides marginipennis is similar to F. oblongus and F. tani but can be distinguished from the latter two species as follows: prolongation of head subequal in length to cheeks, and fore wing longitudinal dark band at apex and anterior margin to middle in addition to posterior margin ( Bagnall, 1926), whereas in the latter two species prolongation of head is much shorter than cheeks, and the longitudinal dark band is along the posterior margin only. F. oblongus was collected together with thripine species such as Scirtothrips species or Trichromothrips elegans . It is possible that this new species preys on these thripine species.

Etymology. In reference to elongate head.

Figures

FIGURES 8–14. Aeolothripidae. A. setosus sp. n., 8–9: (8) Female; (9) Male. (10) Aeolothrips vittatus, female; (11) Desmidothrips japonicus sp. n., female; (12) Franklinothrips oblongus sp. n., female, (a: With KOH treatment; b: Without KOH treatment). F. vespiformis, 13–14: (13) Female; (14) Male.

FIGURES 15–24. Fore wings of Aeolothripidae, female. (15) Aeolothrips fasciatus; (16) A. fukushimensis sp. n.; (17) A. kurosawai; (18) A. luteolus; (19) A. melaleucus from Honshu; (20) A. setosus sp. n.; (21) A. vittatus; (22) Desmidothrips japonicus sp. n. (23) Franklinothrips oblongus sp. n.; (24) F. vespiformis.

FIGURES 80–84. Franklinothrips oblongus sp. n., female: (80) Head & pronotum (sculpture on pronotum omitted); (81) Antenna; (82) Mesonotum & metascutum (sculpture on mesonotum omitted); (83) Tergites VIII–X (sculpture omitted); (84) Sternites VI–VII.