Aeolothrips naderii, Minaei & Mound, 2019

Minaei, Kambiz & Mound, Laurence, 2019, Reduced antennal segmentation in a new species from Iran of the genus Aeolothrips (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae), Zootaxa 4683 (3), pp. 447-450 : 447-449

Aeolothrips naderii sp. n.

Female macroptera. Body largely yellowish white ( Fig. 1 ), pronotum, meso and metanotum slightly shaded, abdominal tergite I white, II–VIII with pair of brown markings laterally, antecostal line pale but weakly shaded medially on VIII, tergite IX shaded laterally, tergite X pale ( Fig. 1 ); sternites III–VII with antecostal ridges dark; antennal segment I yellow, II–VII shaded; fore wings with two separate shaded transverse bands ( Fig. 9 ), clavus pale; femora and tibiae yellow with light brown markings, tarsi yellow; major body setae pale.

Antennae usually with 7 segments (terminal 2 or 3 segments sometimes fused to produce 6 or 5 segments) ( Figs 4, 5, 6 ); III with small linear sensorium, less than 1/6 as long as segment; IV a little wider at apex with linear sensorium nearly 0.25 as long as segment; V–VII forming a single unit with IV; VII slightly shorter than VI ( Fig. 6 ). Head wider than long, not produced in front of eyes, with weak transverse lines of sculpture; 2 pairs of setae arising within ocellar triangle, one of them arising between posterior ocelli; postocular area with 5–8 pairs of setae in two widely spaced rows ( Fig. 2 ); frontoclypeus with less than 10 pairs of setae between compound eyes, one pair of mid-lateral setae beside compound eyes slightly longer than other setae ( Fig. 3 ); compound eyes prolonged ventrally. Pronotum with weak transverse striations, with about 20 discal setae; four to six pairs of posteromarginal setae, stouter than pronotal discal setae ( Fig. 7 ). Mesonotum transversely striate, with pair of median setae, anteromedian campaniform sensilla absent. Metanotum with very weak reticulation ( Fig. 8 ). Abdominal tergite I with almost no striations, with no campaniform sensilla, II–X with weak transverse striations, II–VIII with paired campaniform sensilla posterolateral to median setae; setae S1 on tergite IX almost as long as tergite length; X with pair of reduced trichobothria bearing long axial seta. Sternite II with 2 pairs of posterior setae arising sub-marginally; III–VII with 3 pairs of posteromarginal setae of which the lateral pair is submarginal (V–VII sometimes with 4 pairs of which the two lateral pairs are sub-marginal); all abdominal sternites without discal setae, sternite VII with 2 pairs of sub-median accessory setae, arranged one in front of the other and with pair of anterolateral campaniform sensilla ( Fig. 10 ). Spermatheca structure not recognisable.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body distended length 1430. Head length (width) 135 (172). Pronotum length (width) 125 (200). Fore wing length (median width) 680 (110). Tergite IX S1 setae 100. Antennal segments length (width) I 26 (30), II 40 (26), III 57 (17), IV 60 (17), V 27 (20), VI 17 (14), VII 15 (6).

Male not known.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, IRAN, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Yasuj, from Tamarix sp. ( Tamaricaceae ), 27.vi.2018 (KM 1931), deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.

Paratypes, all from same place and plant: 8 females collected with holotype ; 3 females, 23.viii.2017 ( KM 1708 ) ; 10 females, 1.ix.2017 ( KM 1709 ) , 3 females, 26.vii.2018 ( KM 1935 ), deposited in the Department of Plant Protection , College of Agriculture , Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran, with 5 females in Australian National Insect Collection , CSIRO , Canberra.

Comments. As is clear from the description above, and from the illustrations, this species has all of the structural character states of a typical species of genus Aeolothrips , with the exception of the antennal segmentation. It is therefore interpreted as an aberrant species of that genus.

Of the 25 females examined here, 16 have both antennae with 7 segments; seven of them have one antenna with 7 segments and the other antenna with 6 segments; and two of them have one antenna with 7 segments, the other with 5 segments. The number of antennal segments in this new species is unique among Aeolothripidae species, and when first examined the assumption was that the individuals were exhibiting some sort of developmental aberration. The reduction from seven segments to six or even five is clearly the result of fusion of two or three of the apical segments. But the 7-segmented condition has been found consistently in this population on Tamarix over a period of two years and thus is presumably inherited between generations. In trying to identify the species, if the antennal character is ignored, then the new species runs to the three species (gloriosus, montivagus, tauricus) in couplets 37 and 38 of the key to species of Aeolothrips by zur Strassen (2003). Moreover, in the key to 27 Iranian species ( Alavi & Minaei 2018) this species runs to couplets 4 and 5 i. e. gloriosus, montivagus and wittmeri. It differs from gloriosus, montivagus and tauricus in the colour of the antennal segments (IV–IX dark brown in these three species but IV–VI lightly shaded in naderii ). Moreover, it differs from tauricus in the head colour (brown in tauricus, mostly yellow in naderii ). From wittmeri, the new species is easily distinguished in body colour (most parts including antennal segments are brown in wittmeri). The new species is also comparable to intactus Pelikan (1963) that was described from Uzbekistan and recently recorded from Iran ( Alavi & Minaei 2019). However, these two can be distinguished from each other by the presence of two shaded bands on the fore wing of naderii whereas the fore wings of intactus are almost uniformly pale.

From all above species, naderii is also distinguished by the colour of abdominal segment X (uniformly yellow in naderii but dark at least laterally or posteriorly in others).

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Dr. Firouz Naderi (born 1946 in Shiraz, Iran). He is an Iranian-American scientist who spent more than 30 years in various technical and executive positions at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he contributed to some of America’s most iconic robotic space missions. He retired in 2016.

Figures

FIGURES 1–10. Aeolothrips naderii sp.n. (1) Female; (2) Head; (3) Frontoclypeus; (4)Antenna (5-segmented); (5) Head and antennae (right: 6, left: 7-segmented); (6) Antenna (7-segmented); (7) Pronotum; (8) Meso and metanotum; (9) Fore wing; (10) Sternite VII.