Ethirothrips obscurus (Schmutz)

Okajima, Shûji & Masumoto, Masami, 2023, Six genera of the subtribe Macrothripina from Southeast Asia to Taiwan (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae, Idolothripinae), Zootaxa 5291 (1), pp. 1-74 : 36-38

Ethirothrips obscurus (Schmutz)

( Figs 90–95 , 226 )

Ischyrothrips obscurus Schmutz, 1913: 1074–1076 .

E. obscurus is originally described from Ceylon (= Sri Lanka) under the genus Ischyrothrips and has five junior synonyms ( Mound & Palmer 1983). It has somewhat wide distribution range, such as Congo, Sri Lanka, India and Cuba, and is here recorded from Indonesia and Thailand for the first time. Mirab-Balou et al. (2011) mentioned that this species is recorded from Taiwan by Chen (1982), but practically no such record is found in that publication. There is a possibility that they have confused E. indicus (Bagnall) with Dichaetothrips indicus Ananthakrishnan , because Diceratothrips usitatus Ananthakrishnan & Jagadish , the replacement name for D. indicus , was synonymised with this species. Subsequently, Dang et al. (2013) also recorded this species from China (Taiwan), and this was probably based on Mirab-Balou et al. Wang et al. (2019) did not include E. obscurus in the faunal study of Idolothripinae from Taiwan, and we have also not seen it from Taiwan. Furthermore, curiously, Dang et al. (2013) mentioned in their text five Ethirothrips species from Taiwan, such as E. brevis , E. chui , E. indicus , E. obscurus and E. virgulae , but E. brevis , E. indicus and E. obscurus were not included in their check-list.

E. obscurus can be discriminated from its congeners by a combination of the pale antennal segments III and IV ( Fig. 92 ), long postocellar setae, clear fore wings, and the narrow lateral wings of trilobed pelta ( Fig. 94 ).

Specimens examined: Indonesia, Lombok Is., Dasanbaru , 1 male, on dead branches, 5.iii.2005, SO . Thailand, Bangkok, Bangkhen, Campus of Kasetsart University , NBCRC, 1 male, on dead branches of Casuarina equisetifolia , 25.xii.1987, 6 females and 4 males, on dead branches, 26.xii.1987, 1 female and 1 male, on dead branches of Bougainvillea ? glabra, 28.xii.1987, SO ; Saraburi, 7 females, on dead leaves and branches, 10.ix.1991, TN & SO ; Chiang Mai, Farm of Chiang Mai University , 1 female and 1 male, on dead leaves and branches, 26.viii.1992, TN & SO; nr . Chiang Mai, Pha Yao , 6 females, on dead leaves and branches, 5.ix.1992, SO ; Phuket Is., Rang Hill , 1 male, on dead leaves and branches, 14.ix.1992, SO . India, Madras , 1 male, Sesbania twigs, 2.iv.1963, 1 female, decaying twigs, 20.i.1967, T. N. Ananthakrishnan (identified as Diceratothrips usitatus by Ananthakrishnan & Jagadish) .

Figures

FIGURES 90–95. Ethirothrips obscurus, female. (90) Head & prothorax; (91) mesopresternum; (92) antennal segments II– VIII; (93) fore tarsus; (94) metanotum & pelta; (95) tube.

FIGURES 223–234. Ethirothrips species, female. (223) E. longiceps sp. n.; (224) E. longisetis; (225) E. malaya sp. n.; (226) E. obscurus; (227) E. oculus sp. n.; (228) E. ommatus sp. n.; (229) E. puiensis sp. n.; (230) E. quadratus sp. n.; (231) E. rubeus, paratype; (232) E. rubeus from Thailand; (233) E. saigon sp. n.; (234) E. setosus sp. n.