Eremiothrips hanshanensis Zhang & Feng

Zhang, Shimeng & Feng, Jinian, 2017, The genus Eremiothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from China, with one new species, Zootaxa 4250 (4), pp. 396-400 : 397-399

Eremiothrips hanshanensis Zhang & Feng sp. n. ( Figures 1–9 )

Female macroptera. Body light brown or yellowish brown. Antennal segment I white ( Fig. 5 ), segments II and VI–IX brown, segments III–IV light brown, segment V light brown with brown apex. Legs light brown. Forewing white. Setae with light colour.

Head wider than long ( Fig. 1 ), compound eyes with six pigmented facets ventrally, arranged in three rows; three pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III in front of hind ocelli within triangle, longer than ocellar setae I; 5–6 pairs of postocular setae, all setae on head short; maxillary palps three-segmented. Antennae nine-segmented ( Fig. 5 ), segment I without median dorsal apical setae, III and IV with forked sense cones and weak microtrichia.

Pronotum almost smooth ( Fig. 2 ), rarely weakly transversely striate, with no long discal setae, with one pair of long posteroangular setae, posterior margin with four pairs of setae. Mesonotum with transverse lines ( Fig. 3 ), campaniform sensilla inconspicuous. Metanotum with cross striation medially ( Fig. 3 ), the rest with longitudinal lines, median setae well behind anterior margin; campaniform sensilla absent; mesothoracic sternopleuralsuture present; spinula absent on mesosternum and metasternum ( Fig. 4 ). Tarsi two-segmented. Fore wing slender with posterior cilia wavy; first vein with 6 setae on basal half and 3 widely spaced setae on distal half, second vein with 10 widely spaced setae; clavus with 4 veinal and 1 discal setae.

Abdominal tergites weakly sculptured medially, with no ctenidia or craspedum; tergite II without lateral marginal setae; tergal campaniform sensilla posterolateral to median setae, close to posterior margin; tergite VIII with scattered short microtrichia ( Fig. 8 ), both sides with faint transverse reticulation, median campaniform sensilla situated behind of the middle between S1 seta and posterior margin, close to the posterior margin; tergite IX with median dorsal setae extending to posterior margin of tergite, and with two pairs of campaniform sensilla near the margin, setae S2 almost equal to S1; tergite X with dorsal split short; ovipositor developed. Sternites without discal setae or marginal craspedum, sternite II with 2 pairs of marginal setae, III–VII with 3 pairs; pleurotergites with no discal setae, median pair of setae on sternite VII arising in front of posterior margin ( Fig. 6 ).

Male macroptera. Body smaller than female, colour lighter than female. Three pairs of ocellar setae present. Pronotum with one pair of long setae on posterior angles. Sternites III–VII each with small pore plates ( Fig. 9 ), tergite IX with two long, special processes at posterior margin ( Fig. 7 ).

Measurements (holotype female in microns): Body length 1480. Head length 117, width 160, ocellar setae III 23. Pronotum length 123, width 189, posteroangular inner setae 40; outer setae 16. Forewing length 687. Metanotal median setae 17. Tergite IX setae S1 92, S2 92. Antennae length (width) I 17 (25), II 33 (23), III 33 (17), IV 33 (16), V31 (17), VI 36 (17), VII 7 (11), VIII 8 (7), IX 15 (4).

Measurements (paratype male in microns): Body length 1009. Head length 89, width 121, pronotum length 87, width 143, posteroangular inner setae 32. Forewing 545. Metanotal median setae 17. Sternites III–VII glandular areas 17 width (w), 7 length (l); 11 w, 7 l; 9 w, 6 l; 5 w, 5l; 4 w, 4 l. Antennae length (width) I 15 (21), II 23 (19), III 26 (14), IV 26 (14), V 25 (14), VI 29 (14), VII 7 (10), VIII 6 (7), IX 12 (4).

Materials examined. Holotype female: CHINA, Inner Mongolia province, Chifeng County, Hanshan forestry centre, collected from Asteraceae , 10. VII. 2014, collected by Shimeng Zhang . Paratypes. 2 females and 1 male, the same data as holotype, one of the females is short-winged.

Remarks. It is difficult to distinguish species of Eremiothrips based only on females, whereas males show clear differences. E. eshghii and E. efflatouni are obviously different from other species in absence of long setae in the pronotum in both sexes. According to Minaei (2012; 2014), nine species are known to share with this new species the presence in males of pore plates: E. arya , E. bhattii , E. dubius , E. eshghii , E. farsi , E. hudeci , E. taghizadehi , E. similis and E. zurstrasseni . Pore plates on sternites III–VII as in E. hanshanensis also occur in E. hudeci and E. zurstrasseni , but they are smaller and oval in E. hanshanensis whereas they are larger and transverse in those two species. E. similis , E. farsi and E. bhattii are distinguished from E. hanshanensis by the absence of special processes on tergite IX of males. E.dubius , E. taghizadehi and E. arya are similar to E. hanshanensis in having sternal pore plates. However, these are present on sternites IV–VII in these three species, but on sternites III–VII in E. hanshanensis . This new species has longer and normal processes on tergite IX, whereas they are small in E. dubius , and with the apex sharply recurved in E. taghizadehi .

A single brachypterous female of E. hanshanensis was collected with the same data as the holotype. This shortwinged female is similar to the long-winged female: body length 1205, ocelli and three ocellar setae are present on head ( Fig 10 ), compound eyes with six pigmented facets ventrally. Pronotum with no long discal setae, with one pair of long posteroangular setae. Metanotum without campaniform sensilla ( Fig 11 ), wings short ( Fig 11 ), length 131. Median campaniform sensilla situated behind of the middle between S1 seta and posterior margin, close to the posterior margin on tergite VIII ( Fig 12 ). This is the first published record of wing-reduction among Eremiothrips species, although such a phenomenon is widespread amongst other Anaphothrips genus-group species.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the collection localityof this species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Eremiothrips hanshanensis sp. n. (1) head; (2) pronotum; (3) meso- and metanotum; (4) meso- and metasternum; (5) antenna; (6) female, abdominal sternites VII – X; (7) male, tergite IX; (8) female, abdominal tergitesVII – X; (9) male, abdominal sternites III – VII.

FIGURES 10 – 12. Eremiothrips hanshanensis brachypterous female. (10) head; (11) meso- and metanotum, wing; (12) abdominal tergites VII – VIII.