Azaleothrips laevigatus Okajima, 2006

Dang, Lihong, Li, Yaya, Mound, Laurence A. & Qiao, Gexia, 2023, The Oriental fungus-feeding genus Azaleothrips Ananthakrishnan, 1964 from China with one new species and four new records (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae, Phlaeothripinae), ZooKeys 1183, pp. 219-231 : 219

Azaleothrips laevigatus Okajima, 2006

Figs 2 , 3 , 10 , 16 , 25 , 29

Azaleothrips laevigatus Okajima, 2006: 192.

Specimen studied.

China - Guangxi • 1♀1♂ (SNUT); Chongzuo; on dead wood; 9 & 25.vii.2021; Xia Wang leg.

Comments.

Described from Japan on dead Casuarina branches, this species is distinguished easily from other Azaleothrips , except for two Philippine species, A. philippinensis and A. bifidius , in having S2 on abdominal tergite IX of males pointed at its apex (Fig. 29 ). Azaleothrips laevigatus can be distinguished from these Philippine species by the weaker sculpture on the head and pronotum and transverse pore plate on male sternite VIII (Figs 2 , 16 , 29 ). This species is closely related to an Indonesian species, A. dentatus , in having weak sculpture on the body surface and shorter major setae, and in the head shape, but in A. dentatus the fore-tibia has an apical inner tubercle. Additionally, the head of A. laevigatus has weak sculpture, almost straight cheeks, postocular setae close together and slender, and long stylets that reach the eyes (Fig. 2 ), similar to species of Ablemothrips . However, A. laevigatus has a long mouth-cone which is sharply pointed and reaching the mesopresternum (Fig. 3 ), and the postocular setae are also close together in male, while Ablemothrips species have the mouth cone-short and rounded, and the postocular setae of males are sexually dimorphic and widely separated ( Okajima 1999). A female and male from Guangxi, China are recognized as A. laevigatus because there is no differences in morphology and coloration, as compared to the original description ( Okajima 2006).

Figures

Figures 1 - 7. Heads of Azaleothrips species 1 A. formosae 2 A. laevigatus 3 A. laevigatus, ventral view of head 4 A. sphaericus sp. nov. 5 A. lepidus 6 A. siamensis 7 A. templeri.

Figures 8 - 14. Antennae of Azaleothrips species 8 A. formosae 9 A. laocai 10 A. laevigatus 11 A. moundi 12 A. siamensis 13 A. sphaericus sp. nov. 14 A. templeri.

Figures 15 - 18. Pronotum of Azaleothrips species 15 A. formosae 16 A. laevigatus 17 A. lepidus 18 A. siamensis.

Figures 24 - 30. Abdomen of Azaleothrips species 24 - 27 pore plate on sternite VIII 24 A. sphaericus sp. nov. 25 A. laevigatus 26 A. lepidus 27 A. formosae 28 - 30 tergites IX-X 28 A. sphaericus sp. nov. 29 A. laevigatus 30 A. siamensis.