Thrips reunionensis, Goldarazena & Dianzinga & Frago & Michel & Reynaud, 2020

Goldarazena, Arturo, Dianzinga, Niry T., Frago, Enric, Michel, Bruno & Reynaud, Philippe, 2020, A new species of the genus Thrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) from the Malagasy Region, Zootaxa 4750 (3), pp. 443-446 : 443-446

Thrips reunionensis sp.n.

Female macroptera. Colour of macerated slide mounted females brown ( Fig. 1 ), legs brown with tibia and tarsi yellow; antennal segments I–II brown, III mainly yellow ( Fig. 7 ), IV–V yellow at base; fore wing shaded with basal area close to the clavus slightly clearer. Antennae 7-segmented. Ocellar setae III arising on the lateral side of the triangle, shorter than the distance between hind ocelli ( Fig. 6 ). Pronotum with many transverse sculpture lines not closely spaced, about 40 discal setae, posteroangular setae about 0.6 as long as pronotum with 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae ( Fig. 2 ). Mesonotal anteromedian campaniform sensilla present. Metanotum medially with longitudinal row of large slightly elongate reticles that lack internal markings, median setae not on anterior margin; campaniform sensilla present ( Fig. 5 ). Fore wing first vein almost complete with 2 setae on distal third ( Fig. 3 ); clavus with 5 marginal setae and 1 discal setae ( Fig. 8 ). Abdominal tergites with sculpture lines extending to seta S2 but not between S1 and the campaniform sensilla ( Fig. 13 ); tergite II with 3 lateral marginal setae ( Fig. 11 ); ctenidia present on V–VIII. Pleurotergites with no discal setae and without microtrichia. Tergite VIII with comb of microtrichia complete, long and slender ( Fig. 14 ). Sternites III–VII with 10–15 discal setae in one irregular row ( Figs 9–10 ); II without discal setae and with 2 pairs of marginal setae.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1710. Head, length 121; width across eyes 146; ocellar setae II 9, III 23. Pronotum, length 128; width 230; posteroangular setae 85, 84. Fore wing length 997. Antennal segments I–VII length 26, 40, 65, 66, 46, 57, 15.

Male. Similar to female but smaller and yellow ( Fig. 4 ). Tergite VIII posteromarginal comb absent, microtrichia absent also laterally. Tergite IX setal pair S2 arising slightly behind pair S1, but arranged almost in straight line. Sternites III–VII each with transverse oval pore plate and one or two pairs of discal setae ( Fig. 12 ).

Specimens studied. Holotype female, La Reunion Island, on flowers of Dombeya sp. ( Malvaceae ), 14.vi.2018 (Enric Frago and Niry Dianzinga) in the collection of insects of the Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations (CBGP) Montpellier, France.

Paratypes: 6 females and 12 males with the same data as holotype in CBGP Montpellier , 1 female and 1 male in Muséum national d’ Histoire naturelle, Paris.

Comments. Using the key by Mound (2010) this species tracks to couplets 24 and 25 but it differs from Thrips kurahashii in the position of ocellar setae III and the presence of metanotal campaniform sensilla. The colour also is different, yellow in T. kurahashii and brown in T. reunionensis . Mound (2010) noted variation in Thrips acaciae but that species has four lateral marginal setae on tergite II, more than 24 discal setae in sternites III–VII and a weak comb of microtrichia on tergite VIII posterior margin.

Because in Thrips the number of antennal segments within species may vary from seven to eight this species could be confused also with specimens of Thrips simplex with seven antennal segments. However, the male of simplex is black with longer and wider pore plates, and in both sexes the metanotal campaniform sensilla are absent and the metanotal reticles have internal markings. Moreover, the fore wings of T. simplex have a long white proximal area that is light brown in T. reunionensis .

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Thrips reunionensis. (1) Habitus female. (2) Pronotum. (3) Fore wing. (4) habitus male. (5) Mesonotum and metanotum. (6) Head. (7) Antenna; (8) Clavus.

FIGURES 9–14. Thrips reunionensis. (9–10) Sternites III–VII. (11) Tergites I–II. (12) Male sternal pore plates. (13) Abdominal tergites IV–VI. (14) Tergites VIII–IX.