Podothrips flavipes, Okajima & Masumoto, 2025

Okajima, Shûji & Masumoto, Masami, 2025, Some Poaceae-inhabiting Phlaeothripinae (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae) in East Asia, with descriptions of six new genera and 18 new species, Zootaxa 5726 (1), pp. 1-68 : 41-43

Podothrips flavipes sp. nov.

( Figs 154–161 )

Female (macroptera). Distended body length 2.1–2.3mm. Body bicolored ( Fig. 154 ). Head and abdominal segments VIII–X brown, but segment VIII usually slightly yellowish before antecostal suture; thorax yellow but metathoracic pleural areas shaded with brown; abdominal segments I–VII yellow, tergites III–VII each with an anteromedian brown marking, but paler on VII. All legs yellow, but fore tibiae shaded at outer margin. Antennal segments I–II brown with apex of II yellowish; III–VII yellow with apices of V–VII shaded; VIII brown. Fore wings pale, slightly shaded at middle; major body setae pale. Head about 1.2 times as long as wide ( Fig. 155 ), 1.23 times in holotype, widest just behind compound eyes, without lateral tooth. Cheeks rounded but somewhat distinctly narrowed towards base, slightly constricted near base. Postocular setae rather developed, pointed, 153µm apart from each other in holotype. Posterior ocelli 65µm apart from each other in holotype. Antennal segment III with (1+1) sense cones, segments IV and V each with (1+1 +1) sense cones; segment VIII not constricted at base. Ratio length/width of antennal segments III–VIII ( Fig. 161 ) in holotype as followings: 2.1, 2.0, 2.2, 2.2, 2.9, 2.5. Maxillary stylet reaching postocular setae, their distance about 0.1 times as wide as width across cheeks. Pronotum ( Fig. 155 ) about 0.9 times as long as wide, almost smooth and weakly sculptured along posterior margin, with a longitudinal line at middle; aa, ml and epim expanded, pa pointed, epim the longest. Prosternum and mesopresternum typical of the genus ( Fig. 158 ). Metanotum almost smooth anteromedially; median pair of setae 58µm apart from each other, 80–84µm apart from anterior margin in holotype. Fore femora unarmed; fore tibial inner apical tooth distinct ( Fig. 157 ). Fore wings without duplicated cilia; sub-basal wing setae short, S1 and S2 subequal in length, expanded, S3 shorter than S2, pointed. Pelta hut-shaped ( Fig. 159 ). Abdominal tergite VIII S1 setae expanded; tergite IX S1 pointed or blunt, S2 pointed, S1 about 0.7 times as long as tube; S2 almost as long as tube. Tube ( Fig. 160 ) distinctly narrowed at basal one-eighth, weakly tapered towards apex, constricted at apex, 0.6 times as long as head, about 2.3 times as long as basal width; terminal setae 1.4–1.5 times as long as tube.

Measurements ( holotype female in µm). Body length about 2250 (distended). Head length 238, from anterior margin of eyes 218, width across eyes 185, maximum width across cheeks 193; eyes length 78; diameter of posterior ocelli 15; postocular setae 37–40. Maxillary bridge width 45. Antenna total length 384, segments III–VIII length (width) as followings: 53 (25), 55 (28), 55 (25), 50 (23), 56 (19), 33 (13). Pronotum length 203, width 225. Setae on prothorax: aa 24–33, ml 18–19, pa 26–33, epim 45–48. Fore wing length 810. Sub-basal wing setae: S1 23, S2 23 –28, S3 15. Pelta length 78, width 120. Tergite IX setae: S1 105–106, S2 143–145. Tube length 143, basal width 63; terminal setae 193–209.

Male (macroptera). Distended body length 1.4–1.6mm. Very similar to female in color and structure, but smaller. Maxillary stylets not reaching postocular setae, their distance wider than that of female, about 0.3 times as wide as width across cheeks ( Fig. 156 ). Abdominal tergite IX with S1 setae expanded.

Measurements ( paratype male in µm). Body length about 1450 (distended). Head length 183, from anterior margin of eyes 170, width across eyes 150, maximum width across cheeks 153; eyes length 63; diameter of posterior ocelli 13; postocular setae 20–22. Maxillary bridge width 58. Antenna total length 314, segments III–VIII length (width) as followings: 43 (23), 48 (24), 45 (23), 41 (20), 48 (18), 28 (11). Pronotum length 135, width 153. Setae on prothorax: aa 14–18, ml 13–15, pa 14–16, epim 30–35. Fore wing length 550. Sub-basal wing setae: S1 15, S2 20, S3 13 –15. Pelta length 55, width 80. Tergite IX setae: S1 46 –47, S2 38. Tube length 99, basal width 43; terminal setae 150–153.

Type material. Holotype: female, Thailand, Kamphaeng Saen , Campus of Kasetsart University, on bamboo, 12. i.1988, SO . Paratypes: Thailand, 9 females and 1 male collected together with holotype; Bangkok, Bangkhen, Campus of Kasetsart University , NBCRC, on bamboo , 1 female and 1 male, 28.xii.1987, SO, 2 females, 22.viii.1990, TN & SO; 1 male, Nakornprathom, Puttamonton , on bamboo, 18.ix.1991, J. Pornthip .

Non-paratypic specimens. Thailand, 1 male, Bangkok, Bangkhen, Campus of Kasetsart University , on dead branches, 19.viii.1991, TN & SO .

Comments. This species is very similar to P. bicolor in having similar body color, antennal segment IV with (1+1 +1) sense cones, the fore wings without duplicated cilia, and the sub-basal wing setae S1 and S2 expanded. However, flavipes has the prothorax largely yellow in both sexes, though bicolor has the prothorax largely brown in both sexes. Moreover, flavipes is somewhat similar to a widely distributed species, P. semiflavus , in having the body color similar. It can be distinguished by the following features: antennal segment IV with (1+1 +1) sense cones (with (1+1) sense cones in semiflavus ); fore wing sub-basal setae S1 and S2 expanded (all sub-basal wing setae pointed in semiflavus ); male tube much shorter, about 100µm (about 140µm in semiflavus ); male tergite IX with S1 setae expanded at apex (pointed in semiflavus ). A male listed under the non-paratypic specimen has S1 setae on the abdominal tergite IX blunt at apex, at least not expanded

Figures

FIGURES 154–161. Podothrips flavipes sp. nov. (154) whole body, female; (155) head and prothorax, female; (156) head, male; (157) fore tibia and tarsus, female; (158) prosternum and mesopresternum, female; (159) pelta, female; (160) tube, female; (161) antenna, female.