Lissothrips hemingi, Minaei & Mound, 2020

Minaei, Kambiz & Mound, Laurence, 2020, Thysanoptera host-plant associations, with an account of species living on Tamarix, and a new species of Lissothrips (Phlaeothripidae), Zootaxa 4868 (2), pp. 275-283 : 278-281

Lissothrips hemingi sp. n.

( Figs 1–10 )

Female aptera. Body l i g h t brown, tarsi and antennal segment III paler, t u b e d a r k e r (F i g. 1), major setae brown yellowish. Head nearly as long as wide, not reticulate ( Fig. 3 ); compound eyes small, about 12 facets dorsally, not prolonged ventrally; post ocular setae long and blunt apically, extending beyond posterior margin of compound eyes ( Fig. 3 ); maxillary stylets at least one-third of head width apart, retracted to postocular setae ( Fig. 9 ). Antennae 8-segmented, III smaller than IV with no sense cone ( Fig. 6 ), IV with 2 stout sense cones, VIII short and slightly narrower at base than VII at apex. Pronotum transverse, with very faint sculpture, notopleural sutures complete; all five major pronotal setae (am, aa, ml, epim, pa) developed ( Fig. 3 ) (ml not developed in holotype); am setae blunt, other setae capitated. Fore tarsal tooth well developed ( Fig. 9 ). Mesonotum transversely reticulate, lateral setae minute; metanotum reticulate, median setae long and acute, arise on the middle of sclerite ( Fig. 4 ). Prosternal ferna distinct, basantra well developed, mesopresternum e r o d e d medially ( Fig. 8 ); metathoracic sternopleural sutures not developed. Abdomen with pelta broadly D-shaped, campaniform sensilla present ( Fig. 4 ); abdominal tergites II–IX with median setae minute, III–VI with one pair of wing- retaining setae (cf. Fig. 7 ); tergite IX setae a little shorter than tube; anal setae shorter than tube. Sternites with 3–4 minute discal setae.

Measurements (holotype female in microns): Body length 1347. Head (a little crashed), length 148; width 150; po setae 75. Pronotum, length 105; width 220; am 15, aa 20, ml apparently not developed in holotype (in one of the paratypes 20), epim 40, pa 25. Tergite IX setae S1 50. Tube length 70. Antennal segments I–VIII length, 26, 37, 37, 44, 40, 38, 28, 16.

Female microptera. Ve r y s i m i l a r t o a p t e r a. F o r e w i n g l e n g t h 1 2 0.

Male aptera. Very similar to female ( Fig. 2 ) but slightly smaller; metanotum less reticulate ( Fig. 5 ); tergite IX setae S2 short and stout; sternites without pore plate.

Measurements (paratype male in microns): Body length 1300. Head, length 125; width 143; po setae 30. Pronotum, length 100; width 200; am 16, aa 23, ml 20, epim 37, pa 28. Tergite IX setae S1 55. Tube length 64.

Male microptera. Ve r y s i m i l a r t o a p t e r a. F o r e w i n g l e n g t h 1 0 5.

Material examined. Holotype, female, IRAN, Fars province, Sarvestan (29° 7’ 5.63” N 53°17’ 17.46” E), Tamarix sp., 29.iv.2016 ( KM 1435 ).

Paratypes: 1 male collected with holotype ; 1 female, same place and plant, 9.v.2016 ( KM 1459 ). Non paratype specimens : 2 females, 1 male, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Yasouj, same plant, 5.ix.2019 ; 1 female, same place and plant, 27.vi.2018; 1 female, same place and plant, 26.vii.2018.

Comments. The fungivorous genus Lissothrips , in common with many genera of Phlaeothripidae such as Apterygothrips , Karnyothrips and Hoplothrips ( Mound & Tree 2019; Mound et al. 2020), is not diagnosed by any single character state. The new species is placed in this genus because of the relatively small size of antennal segment III and the lack of a sense cone on this segment. Moreover, the specimens were taken from branches with lichen. It is distinguished from most members of the genus by the rather short and broadly based eighth antennal segment. Among Lissothrips species this condition is found only in L. dentatus and L. dugdalei from New Zealand, the other members of the genus having antennal segment VIII slender and narrowed to the base. The new species differs from the New Zealand species in lacking a sense cone on the third antennal segment. There are 23 species listed worldwide in Lissothrips (ThripsWiki 2020) , of which 12 are known only from the Americas, mainly the Neotropics, one is from Fiji, one from Japan, and nine from Australia and New Zealand ( Mound & Tree 2015). This species is the first to be recorded from the Palaearctic Region, and it is also unusual in having a fore tarsal tooth well developed in both sexes.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of the late Professor Bruce Sword Heming (1939–2018). He was a morphologist and embryologist with a great interest in thrips, of which group he developed an extensive slide collection at the Strickland Museum, University of Alberta, Canada.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Lissothrips hemingi sp.n.: (1) Adult (female); (2) Adult (male); (3) Head and pronotum; (4) Meso, metanotum and pelta (female); (5) Meso and metanotum (male); (6) Antenna.

FIGURES 7–10. Lissothrips hemingi sp.n.: (7) Abdominal tergites IV-VII (male); (8) Prostenum; (9) Head and fore leg (female); (10) Abdominal tergites IX and tube (female).