Scirtothrips lixinae, Ng & Mound & Azidah, 2014

Ng, Y. F., Mound, L. A. & Azidah, A. A., 2014, The genus Scirtothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Malaysia, with four new species and comments on Biltothrips, a related genus, Zootaxa 3856 (2), pp. 253-266 : 261-262

Scirtothrips lixinae sp.n.

( Figs 21–26 )

Female macroptera. Body yellow, frons and posterior margin of head weakly shaded; femora, tibiae and tarsi pale or slightly shaded; antennal segment I pale, II–VIII shaded; fore wings at base lightly shaded also clavus, wing paler towards apex; tergites with brown area medially not extending laterally to setae S2, III–VII with antecostal ridge dark brown complete across segment; sternites without shading, IV–VII with antecostal ridge dark brown.

Antennae 8-segmented, IV elongate and constricted apically, sensoria on III–IV forked and unusually long extending to mid-point of the succeeding segment; ocellar area with widely spaced transverse striae; ocellar setae III close together between hind ocelli, 2 pairs of po as long as ocellar setae III. Pronotum with closely spaced striae, with about 14 discal setae; 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae, pair pm2 about twice as long as pm1. Metanotum anterior third with irregular transverse striae, posterior area longitudinally reticulate/striate, median setae near anterior margin. Fore wing second vein with 2 or 3 setae; clavus with 4 marginal setae, with or without discal seta. Abdominal tergites II–VII with setae S1 small, closer together than their length; VIII without microtrichia medially; segment IX with microtrichia present posteromedially, X with very weak microtrichia; sternites with microtrichia scarcely extending mesad of posteromarginal setal pair S2.

Measurements (female in microns). Distended body length 968. Head length 65, width across eyes 145. Pronotum, length 109, width 143; posteromarginal setae pm1 20, pm2 42. Metanotum median setae 16, submedian setae 23. Fore wing, length 472; distal setae on second vein length 10–13. Antennae length 243; segments III–VI length 47, 51, 35, 38. Tergites III–VI S1 length 10–18, distance between bases 8–11.

Male. Not known.

Material studied. Holotype female: MALAYSIA, Penang, Penang Botanical Garden , on Podocarpus macrophyllus , 8.vii.2009 (Ng, Y.F. & Eow, L.X.), (in CISUKM).

Paratypes: 4 females collected with holotype; Penang, MARDI, Seberang Perai , 1 female from Artocarpus champeden , 7.vii.2009 (Ng, Y.F. & Eow, L.X.), (in CISUKM and ANIC) .

Etymology. The species is named after the second collector Miss Li-Xin Eow.

Comments. Relationships of this species are difficult to determine. The sculpture of the metanotum and the abdominal tergites III–VI shaded medially are different in comparison to S. dobroskyi as distinguished in the key above. This new species has antennal segment IV relatively large, with the apex prolonged and the sensoria particularly long and stout ( Fig. 23 ).

Figures

FIGURES 21–26. Scirtothrips lixinae sp.n. (21) Head and pronotum; (22) Meso- and Metascutum; (23) Antenna; (24) Abdominal tergites IV–VIII; (25) Abdominal sternites IV–VII; (26) Abdominal tergite VIII.