Namothrips, Okajima & Masumoto, 2025

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 : 25

Namothrips gen. nov.

Small sized phlaeothripine species, with prothoracic notopleural suture incomplete, possibly belonging to the Phlaeothrips -lineage. Head slightly elevated dorsally, longer than wide, with a pair of postocular setae, which are closer together in both sexes; ocellar setae minute. Eyes and ocelli moderately developed; anterior ocellus directed forwardly, posterior ocelli in contact with eyes.Antennae eight-segmented; segment VIII weakly constricted basally, well separated from segment VII; segments III and VI with (1+1) and (2+1 +1) sense cones, respectively. Mouth cone short and rounded; maxillary stylets retracted far into head capsule, reaching eyes, close together medially; maxillary bridge absent. Pronotum with four pairs of prominent setae. Prothoracic notopleural suture incomplete. Prosternal basantra present, but weak; ferna developed. Fore tarsal tooth absents in both sexes. Pterothorax longer than wide; mesopresternum transverse; metathoracic sternopleural sutures not developed, furcal arms fused medially. Fore wings weakly constricted medially ( Fig. 88 ), with no duplicated cilia. Abdominal tergites II–VII with two pairs of wing-retaining setae; tergite IX S1 and S2 setae shorter than tube. Tube much shorter than head, tapering, almost straight-sided; terminal setae almost as long as tube or shorter. Male: sternite VIII with a pair of pore plates; tergite IX S2 setae almost as long as S1.

Type-species. Namothrips bambusae sp. nov.

Comments. The genus Namothrips presumably belongs to the Phlaeothrips -lineage, and it may be nearly allied to the Oriental genus Ablemothrips Ananthakrishnan. These two genera share the head long and elevated dorsally, the maxillary stylets elongated and close together medially, the fore wings weakly constricted medially and without duplicated cilia, and the fore tarsal tooth absent in both sexes. Ablemothrips has the prothoracic notopleural suture complete, the prosternum without basantra, the antennal segments VII and VIII closely and widely fused, and sternite VIII of male with no pore plate ( Okajima 1999). However, Namothrips has the notopleural sutures incomplete, the prosternal basantra weakly developed, antennal segments VII and VIII well separated, and has a pair of pore plates on sternite VIII of males. Moreover, Ablemothrips has the postocular cephalic setae close together in female but far apart from each other in male, whereas they are close together in both sexes in Namothrips .

The genus name is derived from the type locality ‘Viêt Nam’. Gender: masculine.

Figures

FIGURES 83–93. Namothrips bambusae gen. et sp. nov. (83) whole body; (84) head and prothorax, female; (85) head and prothorax, lateral view, female; (86) surface of head, female; (87) metanotum, female; (88) fore wing, female; (89) pelta, female; (90) tergite IV, female; (91) sternite VIII, male; (92) antennal segments III–VIII, female; (93) tube, female.