Psalidothrips chebalingicus Zhang & Tong

Zhao, Chao, Zhang, Hongrui & Tong, Xiaoli, 2018, Species of the fungivorous genus Psalidothrips Priesner from China, with five new species (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae), ZooKeys 746, pp. 25-50 : 32-33

Psalidothrips chebalingicus Zhang & Tong Figs 17-18, 62-66, 73

Psalidothrips chebalingicus Zhang & Tong, 1997: 87.

Diagnosis.

This species was originally described in Chinese with the male as holotype (Zhang & Tong 1997). Unfortunately, in original paper the illustrations were distorted by compression in the process of printing and the female was described very briefly, which meant that the female of P. chebalingicus could be confused with other similar species. The diagnosis is emended as follows:

Female macropterous (Fig. 17). Body yellow except head, antennal segments I–II and VI–VIII (Fig. 66), margins of pterothorax brown; abdominal tergite II brown with median portion yellow; antennal segments III–V yellowish brown but gradually darkened distally. Head (Fig. 62) slightly wider than long, dorsal surface smooth; cheeks weakly swollen and constricted just behind eyes; postocellar setae slightly longer than hind ocellus; postocular setae slightly longer than eyes and pointed at apex. Antennae 8 -segmented (Fig. 66), surface without sculpture; segments III–IV each with two sense cones; segment VIII slightly longer than segment VII. Maxillary stylets reaching approximately half distance to postocular setae and far apart, V-shaped. Pronotum dorsal surface smooth, am and aa minute, ml apex blunt, epim and pa pointed at apex (Fig. 63). Fore tarsal tooth absent. Pelta hat-shaped, weakly sculptured on anterior half, with a pair of campaniform sensilla posteriorly (Fig. 64); abdominal tergites II–VII with two pairs of weakly sigmoid wing-retaining setae; abdominal tergite IX setae S1 subequal to tube in length (Fig. 65), setae S2 longer than tube, both S1 and S2 pointed at apex.

Male macropterous (Fig. 18). Similar in colour and structure to females, but body smaller; fore tarsal tooth present; pore plate on abdominal sternite VIII narrow and slightly arched medially (Fig. 73); abdominal tergite IX setae S1 slightly shorter than tube but much longer than S2.

Comments.

This species is somewhat similar to P. ascitus in colour and structure. However, it can be distinguished from the latter by the following main features: antennal segments III–IV each with two sense cones; pore plate on abdominal sternite VIII located medially, not reaching lateral margin.

Distribution.

China (Hunan, Guangdong).