Hydatothrips longirostris, Rachana & Amarendra & Vanitha, 2023

Rachana, R. R., Amarendra, B. & Vanitha, K., 2023, A new species of Hydatothrips (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) from India with one new record, Zootaxa 5319 (4), pp. 589-594 : 590-592

Hydatothrips longirostris sp. n.

( Figs 1–14 )

Female macroptera. Body bicoloured ( Fig. 1 ); head and pterothorax brown; pronotum yellow with blotch scarcely distinguishable from the rest; metanotum pale at posterior third; abdominal segment I yellow with lateral third brown and antecostal ridge interrupted medially, II–III & VI brown with pale median area, IV–V & VII–X yellow; antecostal ridges on tergites II–VII complete and dark brown; antennal segments I–IV yellow, V yellow with apical brown infusion, VI–VIII brown. Fore wing banded with sub-basal, median and apical pale areas in contrast to three brown bands, basal ¾ of clavus brown ( Fig. 7 ); all femora, tibiae and tarsi yellow with brown infusion. Antennae 8-segmented, segments III and IV each with forked sense cones and reaching to the basal 1/5 of the next segment ( Fig. 3 ). Head wider than long, sculpture lines within ocellar triangle, with internal markings; occipital apodeme touching posterior margin of eyes; ocellar setae III placed outside ocellar triangle, touching inner margin of eyes; post-occipital area with transverse striations; three pairs of postocular setae along posterior inner margin of eyes, median pair long, longer than ocellar setae III and the rest sub equal ( Fig. 6 ); mouth cone unusually long, extending to metasternum ( Fig. 8 ). Pronotum transversely reticulate with internal markings in front of blotch area; blotch not defined except for anterior apodeme; second posteromarginal setae (S2) very stout, prominent and the longest; short posteroangular setae ( Fig. 4 ). Mesonotum transversely striate, with internal markings, median pair of setae ahead of sub-median pair well anterior to posterior margin ( Fig. 5 ). Metanotum sculptured transversely anteromedially, longitudinally at each side, irregularly reticulate at median posterior third, with internal markings; median setae a little behind anterior margin ( Fig. 5 ). Metasternal plate with deep U- shaped invagination ( Fig. 8 ). Fore wing first vein with about 20–21 setae, second vein with 2 setae ( Fig. 7 ). Abdominal tergites I–VI medially without marginal microtrichia ( Fig. 10 ); VII medially with minute marginal microtrichia ( Fig. 11 ); VIII with complete posteromarginal comb of long microtrichia ( Fig. 14 ); tergites I–VIII with rows of dense microtrichia laterally, I without median discal microtrichia, II–VI with discal microtrichia medially restricted to anterior one third ( Fig. 10 ), VII–VIII almost fully covered with discal mirotrichia ( Figs 11 & 14 ); IX with no discal microtrichia; X with discal microtrichia posteriorly ( Fig. 9 ); tergal median setae situated at antecostal ridges; tergites II–VIII with setae S3 positioned at posterior margin, with 3–4 setae lateral to S3 ( Figs 10, 11 & 14 ); tergite IX with asymmetric arrangement of mid-dorsal setae i.e. 4 pairs on one side and 3 pairs on the other side ( Fig. 9 ). Abdominal sternites without discal setae; II–VI completely covered with discal microtrichia, posterior margin with complete comb of microtrichia interrupted only at setal bases. Ovipositor very long and well developed.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body length 1100. Head, length 60; width across eyes 130; ocellar setae III 12; postocular setae I 17. Pronotum, length 105; width 175. Fore wing length 640. Antennal segments III–VIII length 62, 62, 47, 55, 7, 17.

Male macroptera. Similar to female, but smaller in size ( Fig. 2 ); sternites III–VII with elongated transverse pore plate ( Fig. 12 ).

Measurements (paratype male in microns). Body length 920. Head, length 55; width across eyes 130; ocellar setae III 10; postocular setae I 17. Pronotum, length 90; width 155. Fore wing length 480. Antennal segments III–VIII length 50, 50, 40, 45, 7, 12.

Material studied. Holotype female, INDIA, Karnataka, Mangalore, Puttur, collected on leaves of Getonia floribunda (Combretaceae) ( Fig. 15 ), 24.iii.2023 (K. Vanitha) ( ICAR / NBAIR / THYS /24032023). Paratypes: 8 females and 6 males with same data as holotype except 5 paratype females with mouthcone reaching up to metathoraxic coxa and one paratype female with 4 pairs of mid-dorsal setae on both sides of abdominal segment IX. Holotype and paratypes deposited in the National Insect Museum, National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources ( ICAR-NBAIR), Bengaluru, India.

Etymology: The species name longirostris , meaning “long rostrum’’, is in reference to the unusually long mouth cone of this species.

Comments: This species is interesting in having an elongated mouth cone, a character state also known in a few species of the genus Neohydatothrips John , N. abditus (Hartwig) , N. barrowi Mound & Tree , N. catenatus (Hood) , N. lepidus (Faure) , N. mundus (Hartwig) , and N. gracilipes (Hood) ( Lima & Mound 2016b) . Mouth cone of this species extends beyond the mesothoracic coxae (reaching the metathoraxic coxae in many paratypes), probably longer than in any described Hydatothrips species. Only H. longjingensis Mirab-balou et al. and H. ormocarpi (Faure) have long mouth cone, however, it only reaches to the posterior margin of pronotum ( Faure 1962; Mirab-balou et al. 2011). Besides, it is separable from the other members of the genus by the following character combinations: ocellar setae III placed outside ocellar triangle; pronotum yellow without a well-defined blotch except for anterior apodeme; fore wing banded, second vein with 2 setae; abdominal sternites II–VI completely covered with discal microtrichia, posterior margin with complete comb of microtrichia interrupted only at setal bases; abdominal sternites III–VII of male with elongate transverse pore plate.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Getonia floribunda, host plant of Hydatothrips longirostris sp.n.

FIGURES 1–9. Hydatothrips longirostris sp.n. (1) Female; (2) Male; (3) Antenna; (4) Pronotum; (5) Meso and metanotum; (6) Head, dorsal; (7) Fore wing; (8) Mouth cone; (9) Female abdominal tergites IX–X.

FIGURES 10–14. Hydatothrips longirostris sp.n. (10) Abdominal tergite III; (11) Abdominal tergite VII; (12) Pore plate on male abdominal sternites III–VII; (13) Male abdominal tergites IX–X; (14) Abdominal tergite VIII.