Ethirothrips conopygus, Okajima & Masumoto, 2023

Okajima, Shûji & Masumoto, Masami, 2023, Six genera of the subtribe Macrothripina from Southeast Asia to Taiwan (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae, Idolothripinae), Zootaxa 5291 (1), pp. 1-74 : 23-24

Ethirothrips conopygus sp. n.

( Figs 43–48 , 218–219 )

Female (macroptera). Distended body length: 2.5mm. Colour brown to dark brown; head and thorax brown, abdomen brown to dark brown, gradually darkened to tube. Antennal segments I–IV, yellowish brown to brown, a little paler than head, segment II yellowish distally, segment III yellowish at base, segment IV scarcely darker than III; segments V–VIII brown, almost concolourous with head, scarcely darker than IV. All femora brown with apices yellowish, tibiae brown, tarsi brownish yellow. Fore wings weakly shaded with brown, each with a pale brown streak in basal half. Prominent setae brownish yellow to brown (for example, S2 setae on abdominal tergite VIII is brown). Head ( Fig. 43 ) swollen dorsally, longer than broad, about 1.5 times as long as broad in holotype; anterior costa vertical; dorsal surface sculptured with transverse row of striae laterally, but with weak transverse reticulation at base. Cheeks almost straight, evenly weakly narrowed to base, with a few minute setae, postocular cheek setae 20–25μm in holotype. Postocular setae shorter than 1/2 of head length, sharply pointed; ocellar setae short, postocellar setae situated between posterior margins of posterior ocelli. Eyes comparatively small, directed forwards, about 1/5 as long as head; anterior ocellus face forward; posterior ocelli close to eyes, 20–22μm in diameter, about 58μm apart from each other in holotype. Antennae ( Fig. 44 ) short; segment VIII almost as long as VII, slightly constricted at base; segment III longer than IV, about 2.2 times as long as broad; sense-cones short, segment IV with four sense-cones. Maxillary stylets retracted to eyes, subparallel, closer together, 35μm apart from each other at the middle of head. Pronotum ( Fig. 43 ) short, median length shorter than 1/3 of head length, anterior margin emarginate, almost smooth, but weakly sculptured marginally; prominent setae nearly pointed, am, aa and ml setae short, epim the longest, longer than pronotal median length. Metanotum ( Fig. 47 ) without CPS. Fore femora somewhat enlarged, fore tibia ( Fig. 46 ) with a forwardly directed small apical tubercle at interior surface, fore tarsus with a tooth. Fore wings each with 11–12 duplicated cilia in holotype; three sub-basal setae pointed. Pelta ( Fig. 47 ) trilobed, irregular in shape, with rough and irregular reticulation, without CPS. Lateral margins of abdominal tergite II eroded at anterior 2/3. Posteromarginal setae on abdominal tergite IX sharply pointed, S1 almost as long as tube, S2 a little longer than tube. Tube ( Fig. 48 ) conical, almost straight sided, much shorter than head, 0.65 times as long as head, 1.6 times as long as broad; terminal setae short, about half the length of tube.

Measurements (holotype female in μm). Body length about 2500 (distended). Head length 346, from anterior margin of eyes 330, maximum width across cheeks 227, minimum with near base195; eyes length 70, width 60; postocular setae 130–135. Antenna total length 500, segments I–VIII length (width) as follows: 58 (40), 62 (38), 80 (37), 72 (38), 63 (35), 62 (33), 47 (25), 46 (15). Pronotum length 95, width 280. Setae on prothorax: am less than 30, aa less than 30, ml less than 30, pa 80–82, epim 115–130. Fore wing length 1000. Sub-basal wing setae: S1 15 –23, S2 40 –45, S3 115–127. Setae on tergite IX: S1 220, S2 240. Tube length 225, width at base 140, at apex 40; terminal setae 115–120.

Male (microptera). Distended body length: 2.1mm. Colour and structure very similar to female. Postocular setae about half the length of head. Pronotal ml setae much longer than am. Abdominal tergite II not eroded laterally. Tube 0.6 times as long as head, 1.58 times as long as broad, sides scarcely convex.

Measurements (paratype male in μm). Body length about 2100 (distended). Head length 300, from anterior margin of eyes 283, maximum width across cheeks 190, minimum width near base 166; eyes length 66, width 50; postocular setae 145–150. Antenna total length 430, segments I–VIII length (width) as follows: 53 (37), 58 (32), 70 (32), 63 (35), 56 (33), 55 (30), 38 (23), 40 (14). Pronotum length 95, width 243. Setae on prothorax: am 25, aa less than 25, ml 50, pa 85–90, epim 105–110. Fore wing length 186–190. Sub-basal wing setae: S1 17 –20, S2 40 –55, S3 110–150. Setae on tergite IX: S1 190–195, S2 210–215. Tube length 180, width at base 114, width at apex 38; terminal setae 105–110.

Type series. Holotype: macropterous female, Thailand, Phuket Is., nr. Tone Sai Waterfall , on dead leaves and branches, 11.ix.1992, TN & SO . Paratype: Thailand, 1 male (mic.), collected together with Holotype .

Non-paratypic specimens: Taiwan, 1 female (mac.), Nantou Hsien, Nanshanchi , on dead branches, 29.iii.1984, SO, 1 male (mic.), on dead leaves and branches, 29.viii.1993, TN & SO ; Chiai Hsien, Kuantzulin , 1 male (mic.), on dead leaves and branches, 23.viii.1993, TN & SO .

Remarks. E. conopygus is undoubtedly related to the three species described under the synonymous genus Uredothrips , such as E. indicola (Bhatti) , E. tibialis (Okajima) and E. tirumalaiensis (Ananthakrishnan) . These four species share the dorsally elevated head, small and forwardly directed eyes, parallel and relatively close long maxillary stylets and the heavy tube. From indicola , it is easily distinguished by having the darker head and legs, and the shorter antennal segment III which is about 2.2 times as long as broad ( Fig. 44 ). From tibialis and tirumalaiensis , it is also easily distinguished by having the short antennal segment III and irregularly shaped pelta ( Fig. 47 ). Moreover, the short and very heavy tube ( Fig. 48 ) is peculiar to conopygus , which is conical and about 1.6 times as long as broad in both sexes. One female and two males from Taiwan listed under the non-paratypic specimens seem to be conspecific with this species, but with minute sub-basal S1 and S2 setae on the fore wings.

Figures

FIGURES 43–48. Ethirothrips conopygus sp. n., female. (43) Head & prothorax; (44) antennal segments III–VIII; (45) ferna & mesopresternum; (46) fore tibia & fore tarsus, arrow indicates forwardly directed tubercle; (47) metanotum & pelta; (48) tube.

FIGURES 211–222. Macrothripina genera and species. Aesthesiothrips species, female 211–213: (211) A. breviconus sp. n.; (212) A. elongatus sp. n.; (213) A. jatrophae. Celidothrips species, female 214–215: (214) C. adiaphorus; (215) C. floresi sp. n. Ethirothrips species 216–222: (216) E. brevis, female; (217) E. colossus sp. n., male; (218) E. conopygus sp. n., male; (219) E. conopygus sp. n., female; (220) E. dalatae sp. n., female; (221) E. duricaudus sp. n., female; (222) E. kasetsarti sp. n., female.