Mycterothrips desleyae, Okajima, 2006

Okajima, Masami Masumoto And Shûji, 2006, A revision of and key to the world species of Mycterothrips Trybom (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), Zootaxa 1261 (1261), pp. 1-90 : 39-42

Mycterothrips desleyae sp. nov.

( Figs. 56–59)

Description. Female. Distended body length about 1.3 mm. Body yellowish brown to brownish yellow, pronotum with brown patches, mesonotum shaded at anterior margin and each side of middle, metanotum shaded at each side; abdominal terga brown at middle and at anterior half of each side, laterotergites brown on anterior half; antennal segment I

yellow, II to VIII uniformly brown to dark brown; all legs yellow; fore wings and scale uniformly brown; prominent body setae dark.

Head 1.4–1.6 times as wide as long, cheeks straight. Ocellar setae III situated between posterior ocelli and 4.0–4.9times as long as distance between their bases; postocular setae I the longest ( Fig. 56). Antennal segment III the longest, III and IV strongly narrowed into neck­like distal third, VI tapering in distal half ( Fig. 58). Antennal segments I to VII length/width: 0.9, 1.4–1.5, 2.5–3.0, 2.4–2.5, 1.9, 2.3–2.7, 1.0, 2.5–3.5.

Pronotum 1.2–1.3 times as wide as long, weakly sculptured medially, with 43–46 discal setae (46 in holotype); posteroangular setae I about 1.1 times as long as setae II and 0.4–0.5 times as long as pronotal median length; posteromarginal setae I 1.3–1.9 times as long as setae II and 0.3 times as long as pronotal median length ( Fig. 56). Mesonotum without CPS anteromedially; median pair of setae near posterior margin. Metascutum irregularly reticulated medially; median pair of setae near anterior margin and 0.5–0.7 times as long as metascutal median length. Fore wings usually with 30–34 setae on costal vein (holotype 30 in left, 31 in right), 12–15setae on second vein (holotype 12 in left, 14 in right) .

Abdominal terga and laterotergites with numerous ciliate microtrichia on lines of sculpture, a few lines of sculpture lines slightly extending mesad of B2 setae on terga IV to VII, posterior margin of terga II to VII with microtrichia developed laterally ( Fig. 57); tergum II with four lateral marginal setae; terga VII to VIII with B4 setae minute, tergum VI B4 setae not minute (often slightly short at one side, but stout) ( Fig. 57); tergum IX with both anterior and posterior pairs of CPS, B1 setae, B2 setae and B3 setae 1.0–1.1 times, 1.3 times and 1.0–1.1 times as long as tergum IX median length, respectively; tergum X with median slit at apex; sterna without discal setae. Ovipositor 1.7–2.0 times as long as pronotal median length.

Measurements (in µm). Holotype (female). Distended body length 1330. Head length (width across cheeks) 97 (138), compound eye dorsal length (width) 58 (38), ocellar setae III length (interval) 49 (10). Pronotal median length (width) 125 (163), posteroangular setae I length 59, setae II length 53, posteromarginal setae I length 38, setae II length 29. Metascutal median length 78; median setae length 55. Fore wings length 720. Tergum IX median length 80, B1 setae length 83, B2 seta length 105, B3 setae length 90. Ovipositor length 255. Antennal segments I to VIII length (width) as follows: 25 (28), 35 (25), 50 (20), 48 (20), 33 (18), 45 (20), 8 (8), 15 (5).

Male. Macropterous. Distended body length about 0.9 mm. Antennae 8­segmented, segment VI distinctly longer than that of female, 0.5–0.6 times as long as combined length of I to V, with numerous long setae and without microtrichia ( Fig. 59). Abdominal tergum IX without SB1 setae near posterior margin; sterna with discal setae. Hypomere slightly expanded at apex.

Measurements (in µm). Paratype (male). Distended body length 865. Head length (width across cheeks) 74 (120), compound eye dorsal length (width) 48 (40), ocellar setae III length (interval) 42 (13). Pronotal median length (width) 88 (128), posteroangular setae I length 43, setae II length 44, posteromarginal setae I length 28, setae II length 18. Metascutal median length 58; median setae length 35. Fore wings length 565. Antennal segments I to VIII length (width) as follows: 25 (25), 30 (23–25), 38 (18), 33 (18), 18 (15– 18), 85–88 (18), 5–8 (8), 10–15 (5).

Type series. Australia: Holotype female, Queensland, Brisbane, Gap Creek Reserve, on Clerodendrum floribundum [ Verbenaceae ], 7­xi­2005, D. Tree. Paratypes: 4 females and 3 males, same data as holotype. 1 female, same host and locality, 12­xi­2005, D. Tree.

Non­paratypic specimens: Desley Tree found this species breeding in substantial numbers, between October 2005 and January 2006, on the leaves of several trees of Clerodendrum floribundum at the type locality in western Brisbane, Australia. Small numbers of adults were also taken from the leaves of the same species of tree at Cooloola National Park , 120km north of Brisbane , in February and March , 2006. Slides of nonparatypic specimens, taken from the same trees as the types, are preserved in the collections of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries , Indooroopilly , and in the Australian National Insect Collection , Canberra .

The holotype and some paratypes are deposited in ANIC, Canberra and some paratypes are deposited in Queensland Dept Primary Industries insect collections, Brisbane and Tokyo University of Agriculture, Atsugi, Japan .

Comments. This new species is very similar to M. glycines . In particular, the male has the typical intermediate type of antennal segment VI as in that species. However, M. desleyae differs from M. glycines as follows: females, antennal segment III uniformly brown, III and IV with apical neck more strongly narrowed, VI slightly shorter than IV, B4 setae on tergum VI not minute; males, antennal segment V 18µm long, about as long as wide, in contrast to about 27µm long, more than 1.3 times as long as wide in M. glycines ( Fig. 83).

Etymology. In reference to the entomologist who collected this species, Mrs. Desley Tree, of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries.