Pandorathrips, Mound & Masumoto, 2009

Mound, Laurence A. & Masumoto, Masami, 2009, Australian Thripinae of the Anaphothrips genus-group (Thysanoptera), with three new genera and thirty-three new species, Zootaxa 2042 (1), pp. 1-76 : 70-71

Pandorathrips gen. n.

Diagnosis. Macropterous; antennae 8-segmented (Fig. 216), III–IV with apex constricted, sensoria forked; microtrichia present on III–V. Head wider than long, slightly depressed in front of ocelli, cheeks shorter than compound eyes; eyes without pigmented facets; ocellar setae III outside triangle, lateral or posterolateral to fore ocellus. Pronotum transverse, with no long setae. Mesonotum with paired campaniform sensilla present anteromedially. Metascutum reticulate, MCS present; median pair of setae far from anterior margin. Prosternal ferna entire; basantra without setae; mesothoracic sternopleural sutures complete, furca with weak spinula. Metapre-episternum transverse. Fore wing with costal setae short; first and second veins with setal rows irregular; clavus with 5 veinal and 1 discal setae (Fig. 214). Tergites II–VIII median setae wide apart, close to campaniform sensilla; tergites VI–VII setae S3 much smaller than S4; tergite I with very narrow craspedum, II–VII with broad craspedum, VIII with fine posteromarginal comb arising from broad craspedum but comb interrupted at middle (Fig. 213); tergite IX with two pairs of campaniform sensilla, MD setae long and arising medially; X short with longitudinal split. Sternites without discal setae; II–VI with broad craspedum, VII with craspedum absent medially (Fig. 212), all setae in front of posterior margin. Male sternites III–VII each with a small transverse pore plate (Fig. 215).

Type species Pandorathrips ascius sp. n.

Comments. The only species placed in this new genus differs from all Anaphothrips species in having tergal craspeda, and also in having one discal seta on the fore wing clavus. It differs from similar looking Neotropical anaphothripines, such as Desertathrips De Borbon and Ameranothrips Mound & Marullo , in having males with typical pore plates on several sternites. The form of the posteromarginal comb on the ninth tergite is almost unique, although similar to that of Lomatothrips paryphis from New Zealand ( Mound & Walker, 1982: Fig. 203). However, the genus Lomatothrips , despite the presence of tergal craspeda, is considered to be closely related to the Frankliniella genus group ( Mound, 2006).

FIGURES 211–216. Pandorathrips . (211) head; (212) sternites VI–VII; (213) tergites VII–VIII; (214) meso & metanotum with clavus; (215) male sternites; (216) antenna.