Mycterothrips saadii, Alichi & Minaei, 2019

Alichi, Mahmood & Minaei, Kambiz, 2019, One new species of Mycterothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from southern Iran, Zootaxa 4712 (2), pp. 290-292 : 290-292

Mycterothrips saadii ( Figs 1–8 )

Female macroptera. Body mostly yellow ( Fig. 1 ); antennal segments II–VIII pale brown, III paler in basal two-third ( Fig. 7 ); head slightly darker in basal fourth; thorax usually shaded; abdominal tergites II–VIII with pale brown markings on each side; all legs yellow; fore wings with one sub-basal and one sub-apical band, clavus transparent with extreme base shaded ( Fig. 8 ). Ovipositor and major body setae shaded.

Head wider than long, ocellar setae I absent, pair III situated between posterior ocelli ( Fig. 2 ), usually five pairs of postocular setae present, I longer than others, other postocular setae almost sub-equal in length. Pronotum wider than long, with 10–15 discal setae; one pair of anteromarginal setae about two times as long as discal setae; two pairs of long posteroangular setae and one pair of posteromarginal setae present ( Fig. 3 ),; mesonotum without campaniform sensilla anteromedially, median pair of setae anterior to level of sub- median setae ( Fig. 4 ); metascutum weakly reticulate medially, median pair of setae situated near anterior margin; metasrenal spinula present; first vein of fore wings with a median long gap in setal row, with 7–9 basal and 2 distal setae, second vein with 9–11 setae; posterior fringe cilia wavy; clavus with 4–5 veinal and 1 discal setae. Abdominal tergites smooth medially, but with weak ciliate microtrichia on sculpture lines on lateral thirds ( Fig. 5 ); tergite II with three lateral marginal setae; S4 setae on tergites VI–VIII not developed; tergite VIII with complete posteromarginal comb of microtrichia ( Fig. 5 ), tergite IX without campaniform sensilla; tergite X without a median split; sternites without discal setae; sternite VII with S1 setae at posterior margin ( Fig. 6 ). Ovipositor well developed.

Measurements (Holotype female, in microns). Body length 1150. Head length (width) 105 (150), ocellar setae III length 36, postocular setae I length 13. Pronotum length (width) 115 (155), posteroangular setae I length 36, setae II length 32. Fore wings length 610. Tergite IX S1 setae length 70. Antennal segments III to VIII length: 24, 38, 48, 48, 42, 55, 10, 19.

Male unknown.

Material studied. Holotype female: IRAN, Fars province, Shiraz, Koh Sorkh , on Acer sp., 20.vii.2017 ( KM 1671 ).

Paratypes: 25 females, same data as holotype; same locality and plant , 8 females, 28.vi.2017 ( KM 1655 ) .

Comments. In all specimens examined in this study, the pronotum has one pair of posteromarginal setae. This situation is unusual in Mycterothrips species. However, it is known that this character is unstable in at least one species described from Iran ( Alavi et al. 2013). M. saadii runs in the key by Masumoto and Okajima (2006) up to first section of couplet 13 ( M. grandis ) but does not fit in with this species. The new species can be distinguished from M. grandis by the body size (larger in M. grandis ) and banded fore wings (fore wings uniformly slightly shaded in M. grandis ). Moreover, abdominal tergite II bears three lateral marginal setae in M. saadii whereas there are four in the other species. Superficially, M. saadii is similar to three species in the genus with banded fore wings: caudibrunneus, fasciatus, setiventris. Discal setae are present on the abdominal sternites in setiventris, in contrast to caudibrunneus, fasciatus and saadii . In addition to differences in body color, from both caudibrunneus and fasciatus, the new species is different in having only one pair of anteocellar setae (versus two pairs in caudibrunneus and fasciatus). From fasciatus the new species is further distinguished by color pattern of fore wings: dark at middle and apex, pale at sub-basal and sub-distal areas in fasciatus while fore wings are pale at basal and apex in M. saadii . In the key to Iranian species ( Alavi et al. 2013) this species runs to couplet 8 (hamedaniensis). Besides the banded fore wing in the new species, it can be recognized from hamedaniensis by the absence of campaniform sensilla on tergite IX (two pairs of campaniform sensilla present in hamedaniensis). Moreover, the new species is unique among Iranian species in having only one pair of anteocellar setae.

Etymology. Abū-Muhammad Muslih al-Dīn bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī better known by his pen-name Saadi, also known as Saadi Shirazi, was a most influential Persian poet and prose writer of the medieval period. He was born in Shiraz in the 13 th century. He is widely recognized for the quality of his writings and for the depth of his social and moral thoughts. His two outstanding literary masterpieces are Bustan and Golestan.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Mycterothrips saadii sp. n. (1) Female; (2) Head; (3) Pronotum; (4) Meso and metanotum; (5) Abdominal tergites V–VIII; (6) Abdominal sternites IV–VII; (7) Antenna; (8) Fore wing.