Liophloeothrips terminaliae (Moulton) Wang & Lin, 2020

Wang, Chin-Ling & Lin, Feng-Chyi, 2020, Genera and species of the Liothrips lineage (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae) from Taiwan, Zootaxa 4861 (3), pp. 349-375 : 354-355

Liophloeothrips terminaliae (Moulton) comb. n.

( Figs 7–12 )

Liothrips terminaliae Moulton, 1928a: 311

Female macroptera. Body brown; antennal segments I and II same colour as head except distal end of II yellowish, III yellow, IV yellow with distal end brownish, V basal half yellow and distal half brown, most of VI and VII–VIII greyish brown; legs brown except distal end of fore tibiae and all tarsi yellowish; fore wings hyaline; tube darkest. Head length 1.5–1.7 times of width ( Fig. 7 ), cheeks straight with 3–5 minute setae; blunt po setae as long as eyes, maxillary stylets reaching po setae, close together medially; antennae 8-segmented, III longest. Pronotum with 5 pairs of prominent expanded setae ( Fig. 8 ), aa setae as long as am setae; pronotum notopleural sutures complete. Mesonotum with 2 pairs of CPS; metanotum with dense straight reticles; MSS very short; fore femora not enlarged, fore tarsus with triangular-shaped tooth, conspicuous in male, smaller in female ( Fig. 9 left); fore wing with 11–13 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular ( Fig. 10 ), with 2 CPS, covered with reticles without inner wrinkles; tergite II laterally with 10–11 pairs of accessary setae ( Fig. 11 ); tergites II–VII with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae; S1 and S2 on tergite IX blunt to nearly sharp; tube straight-sided, shorter than head ( Fig. 12 ).

Male macroptera. Body similar to female but smaller, fore femora enlarged, pretarsal tooth obvious, in a regular triangular shape ( Fig. 9 right).

Specimens examined. Taiwan, Guanshan (Taidung), 3 females from Terminalia , 9.v.1991 ; Maobitou (Kenting), 2 females from Terminalia , 8.v.1991 ; Nanjenshan (Kenting), 6 females, 1 male from Excoecaria kawakami , 14. iv.1993 .

Comments. Described from Taiwan, this species is also known from Japan, Ryukyu Islands ( Okajima 2006). The original description by Moulton clearly indicated that the fore tarsus has a minute and blunt tooth ( Moulton 1928a), and recent observations has confirmed that this tooth is present in both sexes. Moreover, tergite IX setae S1 and S2 are blunt or expanded. For these reasons this species is here transferred from Liothrips .

Figures

FIGURES 7–12. Leophloeothrips terminaliae: (7) head; (8) pronotum; (9) enlarged pretarsal tooth of femlae (left) and male (right); (10) pelta; (11) right half of tergite II; (12) tube.