Podothrips etsukoae Minoura & Masumoto

Okajima, Shûji & Masumoto, Masami, 2025, Some Poaceae-inhabiting Phlaeothripinae (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae) in East Asia, with descriptions of six new genera and 18 new species, Zootaxa 5726 (1), pp. 1-68 : 39-40

Podothrips etsukoae Minoura & Masumoto

( Figs 144–153 )

Podothrips etsukoae Minoura & Masumoto, 2020: 294 .

This species was described from Thailand based on 5 females and 5 males. These show intraspecific variation in the shape of fore wing sub-basal setae and the male body color. It is peculiar in that the left and right prosternal basantral plates tend to be connected posteriorly (cf. Fig. 149 ). In a non-paratypic male, the sub-basal wing setae S1 are expanded and abdominal tergite VI has a brown anteromedian marking. It is somewhat similar to P. semiflavus in having similar color pattern, the postocular setae pointed and antennal segment V with (1+1 +1) sense-cones, but can be distinguished from the latter by having the fore wing with duplicated cilia, and the pronotal major setae and sub-basal wing setae S2 expanded .

The specimens from Vietnam listed below under the doubtful specimens ( Figs 146–153 ) are very similar to this species. However, they are slightly different from etsukoae in the following features: head entirely brown (yellowish posteriorly in etsukoae ); abdominal segment VIII entirely brown in both sexes (largely brown, but anterior portion yellowish in female, largely yellow in male in etsukoae ); three sub-basal wing setae pointed (sub-basal wing setae S2 expanded in etsukoae ); fore wing with 4–7 duplicated cilia (with 2–4 duplicated cilia in etsukoae ); metanotal median pair of setae short, about 15µm long in female (more than 20µm in etsukoae ). These differences are minor, and it is not possible to know whether they are local populations of the same species until more specimens are examined.

Specimens examined. Thailand, holotype female and all paratypes ( 4 females and 5 males), and 1 non-paratypic male (see Minoura & Masumoto, 2020).

Doubtful specimens. Vietnam, 6 females and 4 males, Thua Thien Hue Prov. , Phu Loc District, Bach Ma National Park, on bamboo, 14.viii.2007, SO .

Figures

FIGURES 144–153. Podothrips etsukoae. (144) male; (145) head, female. P.? etsukoae (listed in the doubtful specimens) 146–153: (146) female; (147) male; (148) head, female; (149) prosternum, female; (150) fore tibia and tarsus, female; (151) pelta, female; (152) tube, female; (153) antenna, female.