Frankliniella insolitum, Pal & Patidar & Kumar & Panjaliya & Tyagi, 2023

Pal, Shash, Patidar, Abhishek, Kumar, Vikas, Panjaliya, Rakesh Kumar & Tyagi, Kaomud, 2023, Frankliniella species from India (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), with a new generic synonym and an unusual new species, Zootaxa 5360 (1), pp. 44-56 : 45-47

Frankliniella insolitum sp. n.

Female macroptera (pale yellow). Body pale yellow ( Fig. 1 ) including legs; antennal segments I–V yellow, VI–VIII brown; fore wings pale. Head about 1.1 times as long as wide and clearly prolonged anteriorly in front of eyes, with transverse lines of sculpture, three pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III well-developed and arising between fore and hind ocelli at anterior margins of ocellar triangle; six pairs of fine postocular setae, pair IV distinctively longer than others ( Fig. 4 ). Eyes with 5 pigmented facets. Antennae 8-segmented, segments III and IV each with a forked sense cone; pedicel of III simple ( Fig. 7 ); II–VI with rows of microtrichia. Pronotum broader than long, with discal setae, with 2 pairs of posteroangular setae, anteroangulars and anteromarginals setae well developed but scarcely longer than discal setae ( Fig. 4 ). Mesonotum with transverse striations, anteromedian campaniform sensilla present, median pair of setae close to posterior margin; metanotum irregularly reticulate posteromedially, median pair of setae located on anterior margin, campaniform sensilla absent ( Fig. 11 ). Spinula present only on mesosternum but very faint ( Fig.5 ). Fore wing first vein with continuous row of setae, clavus with five veinal setae and one discal seta with apical seta longest, posterior fringes wavy ( Fig. 13 ). Abdominal tergites III–VII with weak scallops on posterior margin, tergite VIII without posteromarginal comb ( Fig. 6 ); absence of small pair of setae between mid-dorsal setae and S3 setae on tergite IX; sternites without discal setae; sternite VII with S1 setae located on posterior margin.

Female macroptera (yellowish brown form). Body yellowish brown ( Fig. 3 ) including legs; antennal segments I–IV yellow, V yellow basally and brown apically; VI–VIII brown ( Fig. 8 ); fore wings pale. Abdominal tergites III–VII with weak scallops on posterior margin, tergite VIII without posteromarginal comb ( Figs. 10, 14 ). Body chaetotaxy and structure similar to yellow form.

Measurements. (Holotype female in microns, yellow form). Body length 1609. Head length (width across cheeks) 128 (146); compound eye dorsal length (width) 60 (35); pronotum median length (width) 138 (186). Fore wing length 784. Antenna length 308; segments I–VIII length (width): 26 (27), 40 (26), 51 (16), 46 (16), 41 (17), 59 (16), 11 (6), 17 (4).

Male macroptera. Body pale yellow ( Fig. 2 ), posterior margin of abdominal tergite without comb of microtrichia; abdominal tergite IX with 2 pairs of campaniform sensilla ( Fig. 12 ); sternite III–VII each with a transverse pore plate ( Fig. 9 ).

Measurements (Male paratype in microns, yellow form): Body length 1315. Head length (width across cheeks) 130 (136); compound eye dorsal length (width) 55 (45); pronotum median length (width) 125 (150). Fore wing length 667. Antennal segments I–VIII length (width): 41 (53), 77 (47), 48 (16), 45 (17), 38 (16), 51 (17), 10 (7), 14 (4).

Material studied. Holotype female, INDIA, Himachal Pradesh, Mandi District ( Jhungi ), (31.39 N, 77.11 E, 1761 m), on wheat crop ( Triticum sp. ), 4.vi.2014, (Reg. No. 6488/H17), Vikas, Kaomud & Biswatosh (in NZC, Kolkata, India).

Paratypes: 1 female, 1 male, all with same data as holotype (Reg. No. 6489/H17 and 6490/H17)., INDIA, Jammu & Kashmir, Khir Bhawani, Tulmulla, Ganderbal (34.22 N, 74.73 E, 1590 m) , 2 females from grass, 06.x.2022, Shash Pal (Reg. No.12826/H17 and 12827/H17), deposited in NZC, Kolkata, India. INDIA, Jammu & Kashmir, Budgam (33.93 N, 74.64 E, 2100 m) , 3 females from grass, 09.x.2022, Shash Pal (Reg. No.12828/H17 to 12830/H17), deposited in NZC, Kolkata, India .

Etymology: The species is named after the latin word “ insolitum ” which means “unusual”.

Comments. The new species is in an intermediate position between the genus Frankliniella and Iridothrips . It shares the following characters with Frankliniella : pronotum with discal setae, fore wing clavus with 5 veinal setae and fore wing first vein with continuous row of setae. But it shares the following with Iridothrips : head obviously projected, dorsal eye length shorter than length of cheeks, ocellar III well developed and situated at anterolateral margins of ocellar triangle.

According to the morphological phylogenetic analysis, the new species is in sister relationship with the Old World temperate zone species F. gilva , and F. tenuicornis . From these two, this new species can be distinguished by the following characters: the position of the postocular setae II which is lie behind the poI and poIII in the new species (in one row in F. gilva and F. tenuicornis ), ctenidium absent on tergite IV in the new species (present in F. gilva and F. tenuicornis ), poorly developed ctenidium on tergite V in the new species (strongly developed in F. gilva and F. tenuicornis ), tergites with weak lines between S1 setae in the new species (with sculpture between S1 setae in F. gilva and F. tenuicornis ).

Moreover, according to a key to Frankliniella species of Asia Pacific area ( Wang et al., 2010), also the current morphological phylogenetic analysis, this new species is very close to I. zizaniophila (Han and Zhang) . However, I. zizaniophila was originally described under the genus Frankliniella and later on transferred to Iridothrips by Wang et al., (2019) based on a morphological phylogenetic analysis. The new species shares with I. zizaniophila the head shape and position of ocellar III, also the absence of a posteromarginal comb of microtrichia on tergite VIII. It can be distinguished from zizaniophila by the presence of 5 pairs of pronotal posteromarginal setae (2 pairs in zizaniophila ), presence of pronotal discal setae (absent in zizaniophila ), metanotum without campaniform sensilla (with campaniform sensilla in zizaniophila ), postocular setae I and II present (absent in zizaniophila ); abdominal sternites II–VII of male with transverse pore plates (with transverse pore plate in zizaniophila , but longer than new species (Majid-balou et al., 2014).

Figures

FIGURES 1–14. Frankliniella insolitum sp. n., (1) Pale yellow female; (2) Pale yellow male; (3) yellowish brown female; (4) Head and pronotum, female; (5) Meso-and metasternum, female; (6) Tergites VIII–X, female; (7) Antenna, pale yellow female; (8) Antenna, yellowish brown female (9) Pore areas on tergites III–VII, male; (10) Tergite VII–VIII, yellowish brown female; (11) Meso-and metanotum, female; (12) Tergite VIII–X, male; (13) forewing, female; (14) Tergites VIII–X, female, yellowish brown female.