Thrips urticae Fabricius

Masumoto, Masami & Okajima, Shûji, 2013, Review of the genus <i> Thrips </ i> and related genera (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) from Japan, Zootaxa 3678 (1), pp. 1-65 : 58

Thrips urticae Fabricius

( Figs. 253–259 )

Female macroptera. Body almost yellow to brownish yellow usually with pale brown markings on pronotum, lateral to anterior margin of mesonotum, each side of metanotum, each anterior side and along antecostal line of abdominal tergites ( Fig. 256 ); antennal segment I yellow, II pale brown, III yellow with distal half to third shaded, IV pale brown with basal half pale, V brown with basal half pale, VI brown often with basal third pale, VII brown; fore wings uniformly pale; all legs yellow; prominent body setae pale brown. Head ( Fig. 253 ) slightly rounded at cheeks, weakly sculptured within ocellar triangle. Compound eyes with five weakly pigmented ommatidia ventrally. Ocellar setae III outside ocellar triangle, posterolateral to fore ocellus, subequal in length to longitudinal diameter of hind ocelli. Postocular setae I the longest, subequal length to ocellar setae III, II and IV very small. Antennae ( Fig. 254 ) 7-segmented, II with microtrichial rows on dorsal surface, III to VI slightly rounded at each side without apical neck, IV to V pedicelate, VI the longest, widest at base and gently tapering to apex. Pronotum ( Fig. 253 ) distinctly sculptured with wide spaced transverse striae, with 25–27 discal setae, with a pair of long setae subequal length to posteromarginal setae I near anterior margin; posteroangular setae 2 pairs; posteromarginal setae 3 pairs, setae I much longer than remaining setae. Mesonotum with CPS anteromedially. Metascutum ( Fig. 255 ) sculptured with wide spaced longitudinal striae, or ill-formed longitudinal reticulations, medially; median pair of setae far from anterior margin; CPS present. Fore wing first vein with seven basal and three distal setae. Abdominal tergites II to VIII ( Figs. 256, 257 ) with no lines extending to mesad of S1 setae; tergite II with 4 lateral marginal setae; tergite VIII with posteromarginal comb complete; tergite IX with posterior pair of CPS only; sternites without discal setae; sternite I without microsetae anteromedially; sternite VII with S1 setae far from posterior margin; pleurotergites without discal setae and ciliate microtrichia.

Male macroptera. Abdominal tergite VIII ( Fig. 258 ) with posteromarginal comb complete, but microtrichia short; tergite IX with S1 setae at level of S2 setae, subequal in length to and closer to S2 setae than each other; sternites III to VII ( Fig. 259 ) each with a narrow transverse pore plate.

Specimens examined. JAPAN, Honshu: Fukushima Pref., Kitakata City, on 8 females on leaves of Humulus japonicus [ Moraceae ], 16-viii-2009, M. Masumoto (TUA). Fukushima Pref., Iwase-gun, Ten’ei-mura, 7 females on leaf of Humulus japonicus , 18-viii-2009, M. Masumoto (TUA). Ibaraki Pref., Yawara-mura, side of the river Kokai-gawa, 16 females & 1 male on leaves of Humulus japonicus , 29-vii-2008, M. Masumoto (TUA). Tokyo, The Imperial Palace Grounds, Fukiage-gyoen, 2 females on leaves of Pueraria lobata [ Fabaceae ], 11-xi-1998, S. Okajima (TUA). Kanagawa Pref., Yokosuka City, Kannonzaki, 14 females on leaves & flowers of Humulus japonicus , 3-x-2007, M. Masumoto (TUA). Kanagawa Pref., Hayama-cho, Mt. Futago-yama: 23 females & 8 male on leaves & flowers of Humulus japonicus , 15-ix-2007, M. Masumoto (TUA). 32 females & 12 males on leaves & flowers of Humulus japonicus , 22-ix-2007, M. Masumoto (TUA). 1 female & 1 male on leaves & flowers of Humulus japonicus , 7-x-2007, M. Masumoto (TUA). Nagano Pref., Sugadaira, Shitsugen-nishi, 1 female on Poaceae , 13-x-1995, T. Tsutsumi (FU). AUSTRIA: Nr. Innsbruck, 2 females on Urtica , ix-1929, R. S. B. (Bagnall Coll. in NHM). ENGLAND: Devon, Sidmouth, 1 female on Urtica , x-1930, R. S. B. (Bagnall Coll. in NHM). HUNGARY: Simontornya, 1 female, 1-xii-1927, F. Pillich (Bagnall Coll. in NHM).

Distribution. Japan (Honshu), Europe.

Comments. This species is here newly recorded from Japan, but it has been recorded as Thrips sp. 4 ( Tsutsumi, 1995) . It is very similar to Thrips nigropilosus and T. tabaci as discussed above.

Figures

FIGURES 253–266. Thrips species. T. urticae, female 253–257: (253) Head & pronotum; (254) Antenna, right; (255) Metascutum; (256) Tergite V & left pleurotergite, sculpture omitted at right side; (257) Tergites VIII–X. T. urticae, male 258– 259: (258) Tergites VIII–IX, sculpture omitted; (259) Sternite V. T. vitticornis, female 260–264: (260) Head & pronotum; (261) Antenna, right; (262) Metascutum; (263) Tergite VIII; (264) Sternite VII, sculpture omitted. T. vitticornis, male 265–266: (265) Tergite IX; (266) Sternite VII, sculpture omitted.