Apelaunothrips moundi, Tyagi & Singha & Chakraborty & Pakrashi & Kumar, 2020

Tyagi, Kaomud, Singha, Devkant, Chakraborty, Rajasree, Pakrashi, Avas & Kumar, Vikas, 2020, A new species of Apelaunothrips (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) from India with new synonym of Podothrips sasacola Kurosawa, Zootaxa 4751 (1), pp. 196-200 : 196-198

Apelaunothrips moundi sp.n. Tyagi & Kumar

Male microptera. Body bicoloured ( Fig.1 ). Head, prothorax, mesothorax, abdominal segments II–IV, VI–X dark brown; abdominal segments I and V yellow, metathorax yellow with brownish tinge at anterior; legs yellow with dark unguitractor plates; antennal segments I–II, V–VIII dark brown, III yellow, IV with brownish tinge at apex. Head longer than broad, dorsal surface with few weak transverse striae; maxillary stylets width apart, not reaching to postocular setae, maxillary bridge scarcely visible, broad; mouth-cone narrowly rounded; head with one pair well developed, capitate postocular setae, longer than eyes; interocellar setae pointed, one pair of postocellar setae present ( Fig. 3 ). Antennae 8-segmented; segment II with campaniform sensilla situated apically; segments III–VI each with two sense cones, VII with one sense cone; segment VIII with distinct basal neck ( Fig. 6 ). Pronotum rectangular, broader than long, dorsal surface with very few striae laterally and posteriorly; all dorsal prothoracic setae well developed and capitate ( Fig. 3 ); notopleural sutures complete. Mesonotal lateral setae well developed and capitate. Metanotum dorsal surface with faint reticulate sculpture, with one pair of median and submedian setae ( Fig. 9 ). Prosternum basantral plates present, but poorly visible. Mesopresternum complete ( Fig. 4 ). Fore wing with sub-basal wing setae arranged in one row, well developed and capitate, and S3 and S2 subequal and little longer than S1. Fore tarsal tooth absent. Pelta usually trapezoidal, surface with faint reticulation ( Figs. 5 , 9 ). Tergites III–VII with 2 pairs of wing-retaining setae; tergite IX setae S1 and S3 finely acute, long, S2 short ( Fig. 7 ). Sternites II–VIII with discal setae. Tube shorter than head, anal setae shorter than tube.

Female microptera. Colour and structure similar to male ( Figs. 2, 8 ), tergite IX setae S2 little longer than male ( Fig.10 ).

Measurements. (holotype female in microns). Body length 2020; head length 222, width behind eyes 127, across cheeks 147, across cheeks just before basal collar 139; eye length 62, width 50–55; postocular setae lengths 70–71; pronotum median length 123, width 210, lengths of major setae: pa 59–62, epim 58–59, aa 53-56, am 56, ml 56, cx 49; mesonotal lateral setae length 41–42; metanotal median setae length 48; pelta length 59, width at base 100; antennal L(W) of segments I 25–26 (35), II 45 (28), III 59–61 (23), IV 52 (26), V 60–61 (24), VI 50 (21), VII 44–45 (19), VIII 36–38 (12); fore wing basal setae length S1 46, S2 48, S3 49; tergite IX setae S1 137, setae S2 31, iS 59, S3 145; tube length 120, width at base 35, at apex 61.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, India, West Bengal, Bakura, Bishnupur (N23.05, E87.33, 75m), from dead log, 10.xi.2019 (Reg. No. 10944/H17), Avas Pakrashi & Devkant Singha, in The National Zoological Collections ( NZC), Kolkata . Paratypes: 2 males, one female, all from same site as holotype (Reg. No. 10945/H17 to 10947/H17).

Etymology. This species is credited to Laurence Mound (CSIRO, Australia) for his untiring effort for thrips studies.

Comments. According to the available keys to species ( Okajima 1979; Mound 2013; Zhao et al. 2018) this new species is similar to A. lieni and A. indicus in having two sense cones on antennal segment IV. The new species also shares with A. madrasensis the body colour and chaetotaxy, but differs in the colour of abdominal segment VI, and the number of sense cones on antennal segments III and IV. It can be distinguished from A. lieni . A. indicus , A. madrasensis by colour of the body, sense cones on III and IV, interocellar and metanotal setae. The body colour of the new species is similar to A. madrasensis ( A. lieni and A. indicus different); two sense cones on antennal segments III and IV in new species, A. lieni . A. indicus (three in A. madrasensis ); interocellar setae pointed in new species, A. lieni , A. madrasensis (well developed and capitate in A. indicus ); metanotum with two median and two submedian setae present in new species and A. madrasensis (2–6 setae in indicus ,12–14 setae in A. lieni ).

Figures

FIGURES1–8. Apelaunothrips moundi sp.n. (1) male; (2) female; (3) head and pronotum, male; (4) prosternum, male; (5) pelta, male; (6) antenna, male; (7) tergites IX–X, male; (8) head and pronotum, female.

FIGURES 9–11. Phlaeothripidae from India. Apelaunothrips moundi sp.n. 9–10: (9) metanotum and tergite I, male; (10) tergite IX–X, female. Podothrips bicolor, holotype female, 11–12 antennal segments III–IV.