Alathrips roonwali (Bhatti)

Rasool, Iftekhar, Alattal, Yehya Zaki & Aldhafer, Hathal M., 2023, Faunistic inventory, identification keys and zoogeographical analysis of the Thysanoptera-Terebrantia of Saudi Arabia, including two new species, Zootaxa 5306 (2), pp. 151-200 : 168

Alathrips roonwali (Bhatti)

Hyalopterothrips roonwali Bhatti, 1963: 177

This is a rare species that was first described from India on the leaves of Capparis decidua , and later was collected from Saudi Arabia and Yemen (zur Strassen & van Harten 2006).As it has seldom been discussed after its description, detailed body characteristics are given here.

Female macroptera: Body pale yellow; with grey patches on pronotum and pterothorax, also laterally on abdominal tergites, pleurotergites and anterior costal margings of tergites and sternites II–VII shaded grey; head with red ocelli; legs yellow with random grey shading; fore wings pale, cilia grey; antennal segment I white, II–V white at the base; VI–VIII brown.

Ocellar triangle smooth; ocellar setae pairs I and II in single transverse line; pair III about three times longer than I and II, placed outside ocellar triangle; posterior ocular setae pair I arising in between the hind ocelli, pairs II–IV behind compound eyes. Antennae 8-segmented, segment I with pair of dorsoapical setae, III–IV with forked sense cone. Maxillary palpi 3-segmented; mouth cone reaching to posterior margin of pronotum; pronotum smooth with about 50–60 discal setae; two pairs of postero-angular setae developed; metanotum sculptured laterally, weakly reticulate in the middle, metanotal median pair of setae at anterior margin, a pair of CPS present behind mid level of metanotum. Tergites II–VII smooth medially, sculptured laterally, provided with two pairs of CPS and minute median pair of setae; S4 setae at tergites VI–VII reduced; posteromarginal comb of microtrichia on tergite VIII complete, but short; X without dorsal split; sternites smooth, postero marginal pair I on sternite VII anterior to posterior margin.

Male macroptera . Similar to female; sternites III–VII each with more than 90 small, rounded pore plates; tergite IX without drepenae.

Measurements. Female. Body length 1450; head, length 125; maximum width 190; ocellar setae III 35; pronotum, length 145; width 215; pronotal posteroangular inner setae 40, pronotal posteroangular outer setae 40; fore wing length 760; metanotal medial setae, 51; antennae segments I–VIII length: 27, 37, 60, 52, 40, 50, 10, 17

Male. Body length 1200; head length 105; width 155; ocellar setae III 30; pronotum length 110; width 170; pronotal posteroangular inner setae 30, pronotal posteroangular outer setae 25; metanotal medial setae 30; antennal segments I–VII length 20, 30, 50, 45, 30, 40, 8, 12.

Material studied. Al baha, Al Makhwa, Thee ain Village, Nine females, two males from leaves and branches of Capparis sp. , 07.iv.2019, ( BT) .