Aeolothrips laurencei, Alavi, Jalil, Awal, Mehdi Modarres, Fekrat, Lida, Minaei, Kambiz & Manzari, Shahab, 2015

Alavi, Jalil, Awal, Mehdi Modarres, Fekrat, Lida, Minaei, Kambiz & Manzari, Shahab, 2015, The Holarctic genus Aeolothrips (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae) from Iran, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 3972 (1), pp. 93-100 : 96-99

Aeolothrips laurencei sp.n.

( Figs 14–25 )

Female macroptera. Body brown to blackish brown ( Fig. 14 ), thorax and abdomen with crimson pigments (in unmacerated specimens); legs wholly dark brown except tarsi yellowish brown to yellow; antenna bicolored, segments I–II dark brown, II slightly lighter in distal half, III yellow with grey ring at apex; IV yellow, light brown in distal half and pedicel; V–IX uniformly brown, slightly lighter than I ( Fig. 18 ). Fore wing pale with two brown transverse bands connected posteriorly by a narrow longitudinal dark strip extending along posterior margin, apex of fore wing clear with ring vein as pale as membrane ( Fig. 16 ); posterior marginal fringe dark. Head wider than long, not produced in front of eyes, with weak transverse lines of sculpture, cheeks convex, vertex with 3–4 pairs of anteocellar setae, 4 pairs of setae between ocellar triangle and eyes, and 1 pair of interocellar setae between posterior ocelli, postocular area with about 7–8 pairs of setae in 2 widely spaced transverse rows ( Fig. 15 ). Antennal segment III 4.6–4.8 times as long as broad, with linear sensorium extending to distal third of segment; IV 3.3–3.5 times as long as broad, with sensorium not extending to basal half of segment, a little curved and wider at apex, surpassing extreme distal tip of segment; V thicker than any of the following segments, shorter than VI–IX together, with one cross row of 5–6 setae rather close together at apex. Pronotum not sculptured except for posterior area, with about 40 scattered setae and 4–5 pairs of stout posteromarginal setae ( Fig. 15 ). Fore tarsus with strongly recurved hamus meeting apex of stout seta. Mesonotum with 1 pair of median setae; with transverse rather narrow reticulations ( Fig. 17 ). Metanotal reticulation equiangular medially, without internal markings ( Fig. 17 ). Fore wing first cross vein situated in middle of first transverse band, second cross vein at basal fourth of second transverse band ( Fig. 16 ); clavus with 9–11 veinal setae. Abdominal tergite I with transverse lines of sculpture medially and laterally; II–VII without transverse striations, IX with numerous and X with a few extremely weak transverse striations, median setae of tergite I long, almost 0.3 times as long as tergite, extending to campaniform sensilla; tergites II–VIII with median setae S1 arising usually in front but sometimes in-line with median campaniform sensilla ( Fig. 19 ); tergite IX setae S1 longer than tergite length. Sternites without transverse striations, II with 3 pairs of posterior submarginal setae, median pair longest; III–VI with 4 pairs of setae, of which the two lateral pairs are submarginal; VII with 4 pairs of submarginal setae, median setae S1 longest, S1 arising closer to S2 than to each other, with 2 pairs of accessory setae medially, outer pair in front of inner ( Fig. 20 ). Posterior margin of tergite X between two marginal setae S1 slightly convex. Spermatheca very large, bladder form, with 3–4 vestigial spiniform chitinous processes on either side of its distal half ( Fig. 21 ).

Measurements (holotype female, in microns). Body distended length 2400. Head length (width across cheeks) 180 (225), Antenna length 450; segments I–IX length (width): 50 (40), 68 (30), 118 (25), 96 (27), 67 (26), 27 (22), 20 (17), 17 (12), 15 (7). Pronotum median length (width) 200 (270). Pterothorax ventral length (width) 500 (400). Dorsal mesonotal setae length (interval) 25 (70), strong lateral setae length 38, anteromarginal metanotal setae length (interval) 40 (57). Posterior setae length (interval) 25 (42). Fore wing length 1150, width across first anterior cross vein 160, across second cross vein 185; transverse bands length along the anterior margin 290 and 320; intervening white area length 160. Tibia length: 250, 240 and 360. Tergite IX median length 160, S1 length 187, S2 length 202. Ovipositor length 530.

Male macroptera. Body generally brown to blackish brown ( Fig. 22 ). Legs dark brown except tarsi and extreme apex of tibia, fore tibia lighter than others, all tarsi yellow, extreme apex of tibia yellow. Antenna bicolored, segment I brown, II yellowish brown, lighter in distal half, III yellow, with a dark ring at apex, IV–IX uniformly brown, somewhat lighter in basal fourth of V ( Fig. 23 ). Fore wing pale with two brown transverse bands, narrowly connected by a dark shading along posterior margin; fore wing fringe dark. Antennal segment II very slightly convex, III 4.5 times as long as broad, linear sensorium very short, occupying at most apical fourth of segment, IV 4.2–4.5 times as long as broad, sensorium occupying about apical third of segment; V slightly shorter than VI–IX together, with small oval sensorium. Middle coxae with a series of strong ridges ventrally along with a hump ( Fig. 25 ). Abdominal tergites IV–VI without paired tubercles; IX with bifurcate claspers but without sickleshaped setae laterally ( Fig. 24 ); semilateral setae extending to ventral tooth of claspers, somewhat surpassing them, lateral setae rather long and stout, but not sickle-shaped, campaniform sensilla situated out of dorsal plate ( Fig. 24 ), posterior margin of tergite IX concave medially, median setae S1 rather long and straight; anterior margin of X gable-shape (inverted V-shape), two campaniform sensilla of tergite X situated far ahead of dorsal setae ( Fig. 24 ). Sternites III–VII without discal setae.

Measurements (paratype male, in microns). Body distended length 1850. Head length (width across cheeks) 150 (200), Antenna length 460; segments I–IX length (width): 38 (37), 57 (27), 100 (25), 93 (23), 74 (23), 27 (20), 17 (20), 15 (12), 12 (7). Pronotum median length (width) 176 (240), Pterothorax ventral length (width) 450 (350), dorsal mesonotal setae length (interval) 19 (60), strong lateral setae length 50, anteromarginal metanotal setae length (interval) 34 (43), posterior setae length (interval) 20 (20). Fore wing length 1025. Tibia length: 230, 220, and 340. Abdominal tergite I length 160, width of dorsal plate anteriorly 56, posteriorly 110. Tergite IX median length 115, semilateral setae length (interval) 89 (189), length of seta lateral to claspers 49, length of dorsal setae S1 49, S2 34. Segment X length 93, length of dorsal setae S1 175, S2 195.

Material studied. Holotype female: IRAN, Khorasan-e-shomalii province, Esfarayen, Chahar-borj village, from flowers of Elaeagnus angustifolia (Elaeagnaceae) , 8.v.2014, J. Alavi.

Paratypes (All from IRAN, Khorasan-e-shomalii province, from flowers of E. angustifolia , collected by J. Alavi): 9 females, 9 males, same data as holotype; 10 females, Sankhast, Jorbat village, 6.v.2014; 1 female, Garmeh, Asgharabad village; 7 female, Shirvan, Palkanlu village, 7.vi.2014.

Comments. A. laurencei is similar to the palearctic species A. eremicola in the uniformly brown body, all yellow tarsi, and the fore wing colour pattern described above. This pattern is seen also in two other palearctic species, gloriosus and wittmeri, and one Indian species indicus, but they are distinguished from A. laurencei by their bicolored bodies. However, the female of the new species is readily distinguished from A. eremicola by the larger body (2400 microns versus 1900 microns), color of middle and hind tibiae (uniformly dark versus abruptly yellow at extreme apex), and by various details of antennal colour indicated above. In addition to differences between the females, the male of laurencei differs from A. eremicola in having claspers.

Amongst 12 samplings of flowering oleaster trees in various locations in the province, A. laurencei was collected only in five. However, at only one of these five locations were males collected along with females, and this sampling also included a large number of leafhoppers ( Macropsis elaeagni ) and aphids ( Capitophorus elaeagni ). It is possible that this new species is a facultative predator, whilst feeding on pollen and flower tissues of oleaster.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Dr. Laurence A. Mound in recognition of his development of the web based information system “ThripsWiki” that was released in 2013.

Figures

FIGURES 14 – 25. Aeolothrips laurencei sp. n. Female (14 – 22): (14) Body, (15) Head & pronotum, (16) Fore wing, (17) Meso- and metanotum, (18) Antenna, (19) Abdominal tergites I – IV, (20) abdominal sternite VII, (21) Spermatheca (arrows indicate spiniform chitinous processes). Male (22 – 25): (22) Body, (23) Antenna, (24) Abdominal tergites VIII – X, (25) Middle coxae.