Liophloeothrips Priesner

Tyagi, Kaomud & Kumar, Vikas, 2011, The Indian species of Liophloeothrips Priesner (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae) with one new species, Zootaxa 2803, pp. 21-31 : 22-23

Liophloeothrips Priesner

Liophloeothrips Priesner 1919: 138 . Type species Liophloeothrips glaber Priesner , by original designation and monotypy.

The name of this genus has been misspelled as Liophlaeothrips by several authors ( Ananthakrishnan & Jagadish, 1969, Ananthakrishnan & Muraleedharan, 1974, and Ananthakrishnan & Sen, 1980). However, although Phloeothrips Amyot & Serville is correctly considered to be a misspelling of Phlaeothrips Haliday , the original spelling of Liophloeothrips remains valid under the Code of Zoological Nomenclature. This genus currently includes 16 species ( Mound, 2011), of which 13 are known only from India. The non-Indian species are Liophloeothrips glaber Priesner from Albania, L. hungaricus (Priesner) from Hungary and L. pulchrisetis Bournier from France. The relationship of these European species to the Indian species considered here requires further study.

Liophloeothrips is very close to Gynaikothrips in the nature of the fore tarsi with a tooth present in both sexes, but is distinguished by setae S1 and S2 on tergite IX expanded apically in both sexes, mouthcone broadly rounded to narrowly pointed, mesopresternum either complete, constricted at middle or divided into 2 lateral triangles, pronotum without twisted striae, and the tube shorter than the head. Liothrips is easily distinguished because the fore tarsi have no tooth in either sex, and setae S1 and S2 on tergite IX are apically pointed to blunt in both sexes.

Diagnosis. Head ( Fig. 1 ) longer than broad; postocular setae well developed, with apices expanded; cheeks without any strong basal setae. Antenna ( Fig. 5 ) 8-segmented, segment III with one outer sense cone but never with an inner sense cone, IV with one inner and one or two outer sense cones, VIII usually non-pedicellate. Mouthcone narrowly pointed ( Fig. 2 ). Maxillary stylets retracted far into the head, maxillary bridge absent. Pronotum weakly sculptured; all pronotal setae well developed, with apices expanded ( Fig. 1 ); notopleural sutures complete; basantral plates absent ( Fig. 2 ). Metanotum longitudinally striate to hexagonally reticulate; mesopresternum divided or undivided; metathoracic sternopleural sutures present. Fore tarsus with tooth in both sexes (except L acaciae sp.

n.). Fore wing parallel sided, duplicated cilia present. Pelta bell-shaped to triangular. Tergites II─VII with 2 pairs of sigmoid wing retaining setae; tergite IX with S1 and S2 setae well developed and expanded apically in both sexes ( Fig. 3 ). Tube shorter than head. Male with a broad pore plate on abdominal sternite VIII.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Liophloeothrips acaciae. (1) Head and pronotum with left leg, female macroptera; (2) Prosternum, female macroptera; (3) Tergites IX – X, female macroptera; (4) Pelta, female macroptera; (5) Antenna, female macroptera; (6) Pelta male brachyptera; (7) Metanotum, female macroptera.