Dolichothrips fialae, Mound & Okajima, 2015

Mound, Laurence A. & Okajima, Shûji, 2015, Taxonomic studies on Dolichothrips (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripinae), pollinators of Macaranga trees in Southeast Asia (Euphorbiaceae), Zootaxa 3956 (1), pp. 79-96 : 88

Dolichothrips fialae sp.n.

( Figs 8, 12 , 20, 30 , 34 )

Female macroptera: Body and legs dark brown, fore tarsi yellow; antennal segments mainly brown, II paler at apex, III yellow with apex lightly shaded, IV brownish yellow on basal third; major setae brown; fore wing clear but brown around sub-basal setae.

Head longer than wide ( Fig. 8 ), slightly narrowing to base; reticulate between ocelli, transversely striate between eyes, transversely reticulate on posterior third; po setae softly pointed, shorter than dorsal eye length, arising rather laterally; maxillary stylets retracted to posterior margin of eyes, one third of head width apart medially with prominent maxillary bridge; mouth cone pointed, extending across prosternal basantra but scarcely reaching ferna ( Fig. 34 ); maxillary palps about 5 times as long as wide. Antennae 8-segmented; segment III with 3 short sense cones, IV with 4 sense cones; VIII narrowed to base.

Pronotum almost smooth medially ( Fig. 8 ), with faint reticulate sculpture on posterior and lateral thirds; major setae all broadly blunt to weakly capitate; notopleural sutures complete. Fore femora weakly swollen; fore tarsal tooth about half as long as tarsal width. Prosternum with basantra well-developed, close under mouth cone; ferna large, triangular; mesopresternum boat shaped; metathoracic sternopleural sutures not developed. Mesonotum with median longitudinal division extending from posterior margin to beyond the mid-point of this sclerite ( Fig. 12 ), lateral setae well-developed with blunt apices. Metanotum with narrow longitudinal reticulation medially, the lines arranged into weak oval on posterior third, median setae acute. Fore wings weakly constricted medially to almost parallel sided, sub-basal setae S1 and S2 with blunt apices, S3 softly pointed; with about 12–14 duplicated cilia.

Pelta reticulate, bell-shaped with broad basal wings ( Fig. 20 ); tergite II with 10–12 setae anterolateral to wing retaining setae, these additional setae vary from straight to sigmoid with at least one pair close to the anterolateral campaniform sensilla ( Fig. 20 ); III–VI with one pair of small sigmoid setae anterolateral to the 2 pairs of major wing retaining setae; tergite IX setae pointed, pair S1 shorter than tube; anal setae longer than tube. Sternites with median pair of marginal setae slender, arising sub-marginally; about 12–15 small discal setae in a transverse row across each sternite.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 2400. Head, length 240; width across cheeks 185; po setae 60. Pronotum, length 160; median width 300; major setae, am 40, aa 30, ml 35, epim 70, pa 70. Mesonotal lateral setae 30. Fore wing, length 1000; sub-basal setae 60, 70, 90. Tergite IV lateral setae 130, 80. Tergite IX setae S1 125; S2 160. Tube, length 160; longest anal setae 200. Antennal segments III–VIII length 70, 60, 55, 50, 45, 30.

Male macroptera: Similar to female but smaller; pronotum with stout median longitudinal apodeme and fore tarsal tooth more robust; tergite IX setae S2 short and stout; sternite VIII with no pore plate; pseudovirga long, slender, weakly sclerotised and with apex little expanded.

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 2200. Head, length 240; po setae 60. Pronotum, length 180; median width 310. Fore wing length 850. Tergite IX setae S1 115, S2 35. Tube length 150.

Specimens examined. MALAYSIA, SARAWAK, Lambir Hills National Park , holotype female, from Macaranga trachyphylla , 16.ix.2010 (Eri Yamasaki), in BMNH .

Paratypes: 8 females, 5 males, taken with holotype; same locality and collector – 1 female from Macaranga gigantea , 22.ix.2011, 4 females, 1 male from Macaranga havilandii , 14.viii.2010, 5 females, 3 males from Macaranga winkleri , 18.ix.2011, 4 females from Macaranga , no date; same locality – 3 females, 7 males from male bud of Macaranga beccariana , 2.vi.2006, 1 female from female flower of Macaranga gigantea , 15.vi.2006, 3 females from male bud (or flower) of Macaranga hosei (= pseudopruinosa), 29.vi.2006, 4 females, 3 males from male flower of Macaranga winkleri , 4.vii.2006, 5 females, 7 males from female flower of Macaranga beccariana , 18.x.2006, 6 females, 4 males from male flower of Macaranga hypoleuca , 28.x.2006, 9 females, 6 males from female flower of Macaranga winkleri , 12.i.2007 (Chikako Ishida). MALAYSIA, SABAH, Telupid , 2 females, 1 male from Macaranga depressa , 27.vi.2000 (Ute Moog 00/116). BRUNEI, Kuala Belalong , 1 female, 2 males from Macaranga hullettii , 7.vi.2000 (Ute Moog 00/051). WEST MALAYSIA, Frasers Hill , 1 female from Macaranga hullettii , 23.v.1999 (Ute Moog 99/090); Ulu Gombak, 2 females, 1 male from Macaranga hypoleuca , 23.iv.1998 (Ute Moog 98/200), 1 female from Macaranga bancana (= triloba), 24.iv.1998 ( Ute Moog 98/220) .

Comments. This species appears to be the major pollinator of many Macaranga species in the Malaysian region ( Fiala et al. 2011). In colour and structure it is unusual within the genus Dolichothrips , as indicated in the key to species. The mouth cone ( Fig. 34 ) is slightly shorter than that of longicollis ( Fig. 37 ) and macarangai but similar in length to several other species in the genus. However, in contrast to other species in this genus the mesopresternum is transverse and complete. Despite being a large and robust, dark species, the pronotum is remarkably smooth medially, in contrast to two other species from Macaranga in the same geographic region ( eriae and chikakoae ) as well as franae from the Hawaiian Islands.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 16. Dolichothrips species. Head & pronotum 7 – 9: (7) macarangai; (8) fialae sp. n.; (9) utae sp. n. Mesonotum and metanotum 10 – 15: (10) chikakoae sp. n.; (11) eriae sp. n.; (12) fialae sp. n.; (13) utae sp. n.; (14) franae sp. n.; (15) reuteri; (16) indicus mesonotum and pelta.

FIGURES 17 – 33. Dolichothrips species. (17) eriae sp. n. fore leg; (18) chikakoae sp. n. pelta, tergites II – III; (19) crassusensus tergites II – IV; (20) fialae sp. n. pelta, tergites II – III; (21) indicus (nesius holotype) tergites II – III; (22) indicus Syntype tergites II – IV; (23) indicus from Mo’orea, pelta, tergites II – III; (24) franae sp. n. tergites II – III. Pelta and tergites II – III 25 – 29: (25) eriae sp. n.; (26) longicollis; (27) macarangai; (28) utae sp. n.; (29) reuteri. Male pseudovirga 30 – 33: (30) fialae sp. n.; (31) longicollis; (32) macarangai; (33) reuteri.

FIGURES 34 – 38. Dolichothrips species mouth cone, prosternum and mesopresternum (34) fialae sp. n.; (35) franae sp. n.; (36) indicus; (37) longicollis; (38) reuteri.