Merothrips yii, Ng & Mound, 2018

Ng, Y. F. & Mound, L. A., 2018, Merothripidae from Malaysia: Merothrips with one new species and two new species records, Zootaxa 4407 (3), pp. 447-450 : 449-450

Merothrips yii sp.n. ( Figs 7–13 )

Female macroptera. Body and legs brownish yellow with abdomen palest, head brown, antennae light brown with distal segments palest; fore wings pale. Antennae 8-segmented ( Fig. 10 ), sensoria on III and IV discoidal, V–VII only weakly narrowed to apex with setae small and slender and no surface microtrichia. Head ( Fig. 7 ) with large eyes, ocelli small, ocellar setae pairs I and II minute, III long and arising laterally; postocular setae no longer than diameter of an eye facet. Pronotum with prominent sculpture lines ( Fig. 8 ); posterior margin with five pairs of setae, of which two are prominent postero-angular setae with the outer much shorter than the inner pair. Prosternum with basantra membranous ( Fig. 11 ), ferna long and curved, prospinasternum transverse. Fore femur moderately swollen, fore tibia with small tubercle near inner apex, fore tarsal pulvillus with terminal claw ( Fig. 9 ). Mesonotum without campaniform sensilla, lateral setae long ( Fig. 12 ); metanotal median setae small, close to posterior margin, one pair of posterolateral campaniform sensilla. Fore wing first and second veins each with about 8 widely spaced setae, basal stem of second vein with one seta basal to vein fork; clavus without setae. Hind femora greatly swollen, diameter twice that of mid femora. Abdominal tergites with seta S2 placed close to lateral group of three setae; X with paired trichobothria larger than spiracles on VIII ( Fig. 13 ); sternite VIII similar to congeners with paired lobes each bearing two setae; ovipositor weak, without serrations.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1350. Head, length 105; width across eyes 135; ocellar setae III 50. Pronotum, length 150; posteromarginal setae S4 & S5 75, 25. Mesonotal lateral setae 40. Fore wing length 600. Tergite X trichobothrial seta 130. Antennal segments III–VIII length 45, 40, 40, 45, 35, 37.

Specimen examined. Holotype female macroptera, Peninsular Malaysia, Selangor, Templar Park , from a fern, 2.viii. 2012 (Ng.Y.F.), in the Natural History Museum, London.

Comments. This species cannot be placed within the key to species provided by Mound and O’Neill (1974). The pronotum has two pairs of prominent posteroangular setae, but the outer pair is much less than 50 microns long. The pronotal sculpture is similar only to that of fusciceps Hood (see Fig. 4 in Mound & O’Neill, 1974), but in that species the postocular part of the head is remarkably short, and the anterior margin of the pronotum eroded. The form of the head suggests that it is possibly related to mirus Crawford , and the chaetotaxy of the tergites is the same as that illustrated for the mirus macroptera (Mound & O’Neill 1974; Fig. 16). From mirus it differs as follows: pronotum with only one pair of long posteroangular setae, antennal segments V and VI not weakly vase-shaped with long dark setae, sensoria on antennal segments III and IV small and discoidal. The sensoria of macropterae of mirus are large and wrap around half of the apex of their segment, although the sensoria of specimens identified as apterae of mirus are small and discoidal.

Figures

FIGURES7–13. Merothrips yii sp.n.(7) head;(8) pronotum; (9)fore tibia& tarsus(right); (10)antenna; (11) prosternites; (12) meso &metanota;(13) tergites VIII–X.

FIGURES 1–6. Merothrips species. M. floridensis (female) 1–4: (1) head & pronotum; (2) meso & metanotum; (3) antenna; (4) abdominal segments VIII–X.M.morgani (male)5–6:(5)head & pronotum; (6)fore leg (right).