Trichromothrips priesneri (Bhatti)

Wang, Chin-Ling, 2008, A new synonym and two new records for Taiwan of Thripidae related to Trichromothrips (Thysanoptera), Zootaxa 1941 (1), pp. 67-68 : 67

Trichromothrips priesneri (Bhatti)

Apothrips priesneri Bhatti, 1967: 20–21 .

Trichromothrips priesneri (Bhatti) ; Bhatti, 1978: 167.

Female (macropterous): Head and pronotum brown with median area pale, pterothorax yellow, abdomen brown with red pigment. Antennal segments I–II brown, III–IV grayish brown except basal 1 /3–1/2 of IV white, V white with distal end grayish, VI–VIII grayish brown. forewing brown; all legs yellow. Head square, strongly constricted behind eyes; cheeks shorter than eyes, ommatidia transparent; interocellar setae long, arising between anterior margins of hind ocelli. Pronotum smooth; two pairs of long posteroangular setae, two pairs of inner posteromarginal setae. Mesonotum almost smooth, median pair of setae situated in front of submedian pairs. Metanotum smooth; median setae near anterior margin; campaniform sensilla absent. Forewing first vein with 2 distal setae, second vein setal row complete. Abdominal tergite VIII without posterior marginal comb.

Male: Not recorded from Taiwan. According to Bhatti (2000): abdominal tergite IX with pair of long drepanae; sternites III–VIII with 6–8 glandular areas, 2 to 3 median areas anteriorly and 2 to 3 circular areas laterally.

Specimens examined: Taiwan, Pingdung, Manshu , 21.xi.2001, 5 females from grass ; Nantou, Wushu , 30.xi.2001, 1 female from Ipomoea nil .

Remarks: Known otherwise only from India, T. priesneri has a similar color pattern to elegans Masumoto & Okajima. These species can be distinguished as follows. 1. T. priesneri with cheeks only about half the length of eye, and length of head and pronotum about the same, while elegans with cheeks longer than eye and head much longer than pronotum. 2. median pair setae on metanotum of priesneri are not on anterior mar- gin of metanotum as elegans . 3. priesneri has 6 basal upper vein setae on forewing and elegans has 5 such setae. 4. priesneri and elegans have different antennal color, the former has whole antennal segment V white and segment VI grayish brown, the latter has antennal segment V yellowish white with distal half brown, and segment VI brown with basal third yellowish white.