Leucothrips Reuter, 1904

Masumoto, Masami & Okajima, Shûji, 2017, Studies on Dendrothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) from Japan, with new records and one new species, Zootaxa 4362 (3), pp. 405-420 : 406-407

Leucothrips Reuter

Leucothrips Reuter, 1904: 107 . Type species: Leucothrips nigripennis Reuter, 1904 , by monotypy.

Macropterous, body small and weak. Head transverse, occipital region short; one pair of anteocellar setae, pair I absent, pair II small and lateral to fore ocellus, pair III in front of hind ocelli, just outside ocellar triangle, postocular setae absent ( Fig. 11 ); mouth-cone short, maxillary palpi 3-segmented; compound eye large. Antenna 7- or 8-segmented, segment I without dorsal apical median setae, III and IV with simple or forked sensoria, III–VI with microtrichia on both dorsal and ventral surfaces ( Fig. 12 ). Pronotum transverse, with transverse internal ridge at middle, densely sculptured with transverse anastomosing lines; seven to eight setae present on posterior margin to posterior angles. Mesonotum with transverse internal ridge, smooth anterior to ridge but densely sculptured with transverse anastomosing lines posterior to ridge; median pair of setae anterior to submedian pair; anteromedian CPS absent ( Fig. 19 ). Metascutum without CPS; median pair of setae far from anterior margin. Prosternal ferna widely divided; basantra without setae; prospinasternum Y-shaped, narrow but distinct. Mesosternum with spinula, but metasternum without spinula. Metaepimeron distinct and with a seta; metaepisternum sclerotized and unsculptured on posterior half, elongate and narrow toward apex with apex recurved like hook below metascutum ( Fig. 20 ), sculptured anteriorly. Fore wing pointed at apex, with long apical seta; first vein with about seven scattered setae, second vein without setae; anteromarginal fringe cilia arising from ventral surface of costa; clavus with three veinal and a discal setae. Hind tibia ventrally with two apical spine-like setae, hind tarsi about 0.3 times as long as hind tibia ( Fig. 21 ). Abdominal tergites with S1 setae close to each other, much longer than their interval, S2 setae slightly sinuate; tergites IV–VIII with seven pairs of setae ( Fig. 13 ); tergite VIII with complete posteromarginal comb; sternites without discal setae, III–VII with three pairs posteromarginal setae, but II with two pairs. Male without pore plates on abdominal sternites.

Comments. This genus includes five species, mainly from the New World (ThripsWiki 2017). However, L. nigripennis has been found around the world ( Mound 1999), and L. piercei and L. theobromae , were recently recorded from Hawaii (Mound et al. 2016). The members of this genus are very similar to those of Pseudodendrothrips but may be distinguished by the position of ocellar setae pair III, and the shape of the apex of the metaepisternum and metaepimeron in addition to the above key ( Mound & Tree 2016). The metaepimeron is distinct.

Figures

FIGURES 11–16. Leucothrips furcatus, female 11–13. (11) Head & pronotum; (12) Antennal segments III–VII; (13) Abdominal tergite VII.Leucothrips nigripennis, female, 14–16; (14) Head & pronotum; (15) Antenna; (16) Metascutum.

FIGURES 17–22. Leucothrips piercei. Female 17–21. (17) Head & pronotum; (18) Antennal segments III–VII; (19) Mesonotum& metascutum;(20) Metathorax (sculpture omitted;mediandotted line shows furca); (21) Hindtibia totarsus.(22) Abdominal tergites IX–X, male.epm=epimeron; epst=episternum; prepst=pre-episternum.