Psalidothrips fabarius, Zhao, Chao, Zhang, Hongrui & Tong, Xiaoli, 2018

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 : 36-37

Psalidothrips fabarius sp. n. Figs 5-6, 45-49, 69

Materials examined.

Holotype female: CHINA. Guangdong: Guangzhou City, Arboretum of South China Agricultural University (23°09'N, 113°21'E), 29.xii.2013 (Jingna Li).

Paratypes.

Ten females and 3 males, collected with holotype; same locality as holotype: 2 females, 31.iii.2011 (Tao Song), 1 female and 1 male, 26.viii.2013 (Jingna Li), 1 female and 1 male, 29.xii.2013 (Jingna Li), 3 females and 1 male, 26.vii.2014 (Chao Zhao), 6 females and 3 males, 14.vii.2014 (Chao Zhao); Guangzhou City, Huolushan Forest Park (23°10'47"N, 113°22'44"E), 2 females and 2 males, 1.vi.2014 (Jingna Li).

Description.

Female macropterous (Fig. 5). Body yellow except head, mesothorax, abdominal tergite II brown, the rest of body yellow. Antennal segments I and basal half of II light brown, segment III yellow, IV–VIII yellowish brown gradually darkened distally. Wings shaded with greyish brown but paler medially.

Head (Fig. 45) almost as long as wide, dorsal surface smooth, faintly sculptured at base; cheeks weakly swollen, slightly constricted just behind eyes. Eyes one-third as long as head; postocular setae approximately 1.5 times longer than eyes and weakly expanded at apex; postocellar setae approximately twice as long as hind ocellus or longer. Antennae 8-segmented, somewhat moniliform, surface without sculpture (Fig. 49); segment VIII longer than segment VII; segments III and IV each with two sense cones. Maxillary stylets reaching about one-third way to postocular setae and wide apart, often V-shaped.

Pronotum (Fig. 46) broad, surface smooth with a weak median longitudinal line; pronotal am and aa minute, the other three pairs of major setae well developed, pa longest, ml slightly longer than epim, epim and pa pointed, but ml expanded at apex. Fore tarsal tooth absent. Sub-basal wing seta S1 minute, S2 longer than S3, both pointed at apex.

Pelta nearly bell-shaped with short lateral lobes (Fig. 47), anterior half distinctly sculptured, a pair of campaniform sensilla present. Abdominal tergites II–VII with two pairs of simply curved wing-retaining setae; S1 and S2 on tergite IX subequal in length (Fig. 48), slightly shorter than tube, all pointed at apex; basal width of tube approximately 3.0 times wider than apical width; anal setae much shorter than tube.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1680. Head length 180, head maximum width 175; eye length 55, postocular setae length 80; diameter of posterior ocellus 16, postocellar setae length 32. Antennal length 360, segments I–VIII length (width) as follows: 42(42); 42 (33); 56 (35); 46 (35); 50 (32); 46 (31); 33 (27); 42 (19). Pronotum median length 145, median width 240; length of major setae: ml 65, pa 80, epim 60. Fore wing length 720, subbasal setae S1-S3 length: 4, 35, 23. Abdominal tergite IX S1 setae length 100, S2 setae length 95. Tube length 120, tube basal width 70, apical width 23; anals 100.

Male apterous (Fig. 6). Similar to female in structure and colour, but smaller and fore tarsus armed with a tooth; setae S2 much shorter than S1 on abdominal tergite IX; abdominal sternite VIII pore plate arch-shaped with a projection medially (Fig. 69).

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Distended body length 1370. Head length 150, width 140; eye length 40; postocular setae length 68; diameter of posterior ocellus 12; postocellar setae length 28. Antennal length 295, segments I–VIII length (width) as follows: 32 (42); 35 (30); 46 (30); 35 (32); 35 (30); 38 (28); 32 (26); 42 (19). Pronotum median length 130, median width 210; length of major setae: ml 44, pa 64, epim 44. Abdominal tergite IX S1 setae length 85, S2 setae length 60. Tube length 100, basal width 55, apical width 25; anals 60.

Distribution.

China (Guangdong).

Etymology.

The specific epithet, fabarius, is from the Latin word meaning bead-like, referring to the moniliform antennal segments.

Comments.

This new species appears to be most similar in appearance to P. ochraceus Okajima from Ryukyu Islands, Japan, particularly in having two sense cones on antennal segments III and IV, and the elongate postocellar setae, but it can be readily distinguished from the latter by the following characteristics: (1) postocular setae expanded at apex (pointed in ochraceus ); (2) pronotal ml setae expanded at apex (ml pointed in ochraceus ); (3) pelta distinctly sculptured on anterior half (whereas pelta indistinctly sculptured in ochraceus ); (4) abdominal tergite IX setae S1 and S2 subequal in length, but shorter than tube (whereas in ochraceus , S1 slightly shorter than tube, S2 longer than tube); (5) three sub-basal wing setae present on fore wing (only one minute sub-basal wing seta present in ochraceus ).