Rohrthrips jiewenae, Ulitzka, 2019

Ulitzka, Manfred R., 2019, Five new species of Rohrthrips (Thysanoptera: Rohrthripidae) from Burmese amber, and the evolution of Tubulifera wings, Zootaxa 4585 (1), pp. 27-40 : 30

Rohrthrips jiewenae sp. n.

( Fig. 3 )

Female. Body slightly contracted; legs extended; right wings and left hind wing overlapping body, right fore wing spread to the side.

Colour ( Fig. 3 ) dark brown including antennae and legs; all major setae and wing fringes dark; wing veins light brown but much darker at base; wing membrane shaded brownish.

Head mainly smooth, about as long as wide; slightly produced in front of anterior margin of eyes, with cheeks rounded behind eyes; cheeks lacking setae; one pair of long and strong ocellar setae close to base of antennae. Eyes not prolonged ventrally. Ocelli large; hind ocelli very close to compound eyes; far apart from each other. Vertex with two postocular setae far behind eyes. Antennae 9-segmented; segment I barrel-shaped; segment II basally bended outwards with a very short pedicle, then similar to III–VII asymmetrical inverse cone-shaped, distal margin inclined to the exterior side; VIII spindle-shaped; IX style-shaped. Segment II with a small distal sensorium; number of sense cones of the following segments difficult to assess (distorted) but at least one inner and one outer on III–V. Mouth cone short and rounded. Maxillary palps clearly 3-segmented. Pronotum about as long as wide, trapezoidal; mediolateral and posteroangular setae long and pointed, anteroangular setae as well as anteromarginal and posteromarginal setae minute. Anterior half of mesonotum sculptured coarsely reticulate; mesonotal setae not visible. Prosternal plates not assessable; mesosternellum and metasternum fused; sternacosta meeting each of the mesothoracic coxae with a conspicuous process. Fore wings ( Fig. 3 ) becoming progressively larger in distal half; anterior vein complete, reaching costa near apex, bearing one median and two distal setae as well as one short basal seta located anteriorly to the vein; second vein not developed; membrane without microtrichia. Fringe cilia straight; arising from sockets; duplicated cilia present around apical margin of wing; clavus not clearly visible. Hind wings without microtrichia; without any veins; sockets of wing fringes smaller than on fore wing. Fore legs with femora stout; fore tarsi with a strong tooth and a very strong hamus. Mid and hind legs slender. All femora with one long ventral and all tibiae with one long dorsal seta; mid and hind tibiae terminally each with three spines; mid and hind tarsi two-segmented, with hamus. Abdominal tergites smooth, without wing-retaining setae; lateral setae long but delicate, pointed; setae s3 on V–VII longer than other lateral setae, not conspicuously bent inwards as in other species. Abdominal segment I (pelta) not assessable; IX conical, with setae s3 very long, reaching tip of tube. Sternite IX with structures interpretable as gynosternal plates and fustis (cf. Bhatti 1998b). Abdominal segment X (tube) long and slightly extended at base; its sculpture not assessable; apparently without campaniform sensilla; with terminal crown of long anal setae.

Measurements. Female (in microns): Body, length 1548. Head, length 166; width 176. Eyes, length 63; width 38. Ocelli, diameter 19; distance between the hind ocelli 47. Ocellar setae 37. Prothorax, length 239; width 365; posteroangular setae 76; mediolateral setae about 65 (not clearly visible); epimeral setae 120. Mesonotum, length 120; width not measurable. Pterothorax, largest width 347. Abdomen, length 911; largest width 490 (segment IV); segment X (tube), length 176; basal width 50. Setae s3 on tergite IX about 255. Antennae, length 334 (segments partially retracted); length (largest width) of segment I 50 (31), II 43 (31), III 50 (34), IV 40 (36), V 37 (28), VI 43 (19), VII 31 (16), VIII 31 (12), IX 9 (3). Sense cones, length of inner (outer) on segment III 6 (6), IV 9 (6), V 10 (–); basal width about 3–4. Fore wings, length 1196; largest width 225.

Material studied. Holotype female MU-Fos-89/1. Inclusion in Burmese amber, donated to the author by Yanzhen Zhao.

Syninclusions. Two midges and parts of a fly, one unknown insect larva and some fungal spores close to the thrips ( Fig. 3 ).

Etymology. The species R. jiewenae is dedicated to Jiewen Zhao, granddaughter of Yanzhen Zhao who found the holotype female in a mine of the Hukawng Valley, Kachin State, Myanmar and donated it to the author.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Rohrthrips spp. R. breviceps sp. n. holotype male 1–2: (1) dorsal view; (2) pterothoracic sternal plates (green: mesopresternum, yellow: mesosternum, red: trochantin, violet: mesokatepisternum, blue: metasternum). (3) R. jiewenae sp. n. holotype female, dorsal view, indicated: fungal spores. (4) R. maryae sp. n. holotype male, pterothoracic sternal plates.