Asprothrips punctulosus, Tong, Xiaoli, Wang, Zhaohong & Mirab-Balou, Majid, 2016

Tong, Xiaoli, Wang, Zhaohong & Mirab-Balou, Majid, 2016, Two new species and one new record of the genus Asprothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from China, Zootaxa 4061 (2), pp. 181-188 : 185-187

Asprothrips punctulosus sp. n.

( Figs 5–6 , 14–20 , 23 )

Female. Macroptera ( Fig 5 ). Body generally brown. Antennal segments I–III and VI –VIII brown, IV clear yellow, V yellow with distal half brown ( Fig 19 ). Fore wing greyish brown ( Fig 18 ). All femora and tibiae brown, tarsi yellow. Abdomen tergites I–VII brown laterally, VIII–X brown, tergites II–VII light brown between setal pair S2 with dark brown spot posteromedially ( Figs 5 , 15 ).

Head ( Fig 14 ) 1.8 times as wide as long; two pairs of minute ocellar setae present, pair II situated at middle between anterior ocellus and compound eye, pair III arising near anterior margin of posterior ocelli within ocellar triangle; 3 pairs of postocular setae present, first pair below the hind ocelli; vertex between eyes including ocellar triangle sculptured with irregularly reticulation, occipital region of vertex sculptured with transverse dotted lines. Mouth cone short and rounded. Antennal segment II globular with ridges on striae, III with a noticeable pedicel, IV–V with short pedicel, IV subequal to VI in length; V with small simple outer sense cone, VI with 3 sense cones, inner one longest arising submedially, reaching apex of VIII; microtrichia rows present on III–VI, segments III and VI with 3 microtrichia rows, IV and V with 4 rows.

Pronotum ( Fig 14 ) transverse approximately twice as wide as long, sculptured with transverse anastomosing lines bearing internal granules on anterior 1/3 and transverse anastomosing striae bearing numerous internal wrinkles and granules on posterior 2/3, with less than 30 minute discal setae, 4 pairs of posteromarginal setae. Mesonotum ( Fig 16 ) smooth on anterior third with two campaniform sensilla, posterior 2/3 with transverse anastomosing smooth striae, median setal pair situated far from posterior margin. Metanotum ( Fig 16 ) reticulate medially with irregular granules between reticles, median setae far back from anterior margin, campaniform sensilla absent. Leg surface reticulate, all tarsi 2-segmented. Fore wing costa with about 22 setae, first vein with 6– 7 proximal and 2 distal setae, second vein with 7 setae; main posterior fringe hairs straight except for some fine hairs weakly wavy; microtrichia of fore wing only present on two veins, along margins and apical sixth, not uniformly covering surface of fore wing.

Abdominal tergites I–VII laterally with strong transverse sculpture lines bearing short microtrichia on anterior 1/3 and tuberculate microtrichia on posterior 2/3 but smooth between setal pair S2 ( Fig 15 ); paired campaniform sensilla situated between setae S1 and S2, much closer to S2 on tergites II–VII; tergites VIII–IX entirely covered with strong transverse sculpture bearing tuberculate microtrichia except for groove medially; VIII with posteromarginal comb, but minute medially; posterior margin of IX overhanging X, medially with a pair of thick and strong setae ( Fig 17 ); tergite X with a complete longitudinal dorsal split. Abdominal sternites II–VII sculptured with transverse anastomosing striae bearing short microtrichia laterally, sternite II with 2 pairs of setae on posterior margin, III–VII each with 3 pairs of setae.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Total distended body length 1180. Head length (width) 90 (175); eye length (width) 70 (42). Pronotum length (width) 106 (218). Length of antenna 203; length (width) of antennal segments I 18 (27), II 28 (29), III 34 (20), IV 36 (20), V 30 (18), VI 34 (15), VII 10 (6), VIII 13 (4). Fore wing length740.

Male. Macroptera ( Fig 6 ). Most character and color pattern states similar to female. Antennal segments brown except for I yellowish brown and IV clear yellow ( Fig 20 ). Abdominal sternites without pore plates. The paramere shape of genitalia as Figure 23 .

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Total distended body length 1120. Head length (width) 95 (165); eye length (width) 68 (43). Pronotum length (width) 90 (200). Length of antenna 186; length (width) of antennal s egments I 20 (26), II 26 (26), III 32 (18), IV 32 (18), V 26 (17), VI 30 (15), VII 9 (6), VIII 11 (4). Fore wing length 630.

Specimens examined. Holotype female (in SCAU): CHINA, Jiangxi: Chongyi County, Yangling National Forest Park (25°39'N, 114°18'E), collected from an unidentified dicotyledonous shrub, 22.viii.2015 (Xiaoli Tong). 1 female and 11 males, collected with holotype, same locality and collector.

Distribution. China (Jiangxi).

Etymology. The specific epithet, punctulosus , meaning “many spots”, is from the Latin adjective and refers to the abdominal tergites II–VIII each with a brown spot posteromedially.

Comments. This species shares morphological affinities with bucerus as both species have similar sculpture on the body surface and a dark brown spot on abdominal tergites II–VII posteromedially, and the males lack sternal pore plates. However, in addition to the different shape of the male parameres ( Figs 22–23 ), punctulosus differs from bucerus by the clear yellow antennal segment IV which is subequal in length to VI, and segment V is bicolored; the posterior margin of IX bears a pair of thick and strong setae medially, and tergite X has a complete longitudinal dorsal split. In contrast, in bucerus the antennal segments are uniformly dark brown except segment I yellowish brown, and IV is much longer than VI; the posterior margin of tergite IX bears a pair of short horn-like setae medially, and tergite X has an incomplete longitudinal dorsal split. The sexes of punctulosus are similar to each other in most characters and color pattern ( Figs 5–6 ), but the male of bucerus is quite different from the female in color pattern ( Figs 3–4 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Asprothrips bimaculatus: (1) female; (2) male. Asprothrips bucerus n. sp.: (3) female; (4) male. Asprothrips punctulosus n. sp.: (5) female; (6) male.

FIGURES 14 – 20. Asprothrips punctulosus n. sp. (14) head and pronotum; (15) abdominal tergites IV – VI; (16) meso- and metanotum; (17) abdominal tergite IX – X; (18) fore wing; (19) antenna of female; (20) antenna of male.

FIGURES 21 – 23. Paramere shape of male genitalia; (21) A. bimaculatus; (22) A. bucerus n. sp.; (23) A. punctulosus n. sp.