Opimothrips tubulatus Nonaka & Okajima, 1992

Xie, Yanlan, Li, Yajin, Li, Zhengyue & Zhang, Hongrui, 2019, Two genera of Panchaetothripinae newly recorded from China, with first description of males of Opimothrips tubulatus (Thysanoptera, Thripidae), Zootaxa 4567 (3), pp. 583-586 : 586

Opimothrips tubulatus Nonaka & Okajima ( Figs 11–18 )

The monobasic Opimothrips was erected for tubulatus , based on a single female collected from grasses in Thailand ( Nonaka & Okajima 1992). This species seems to be associated with grasses, as both sexes are recorded below from grasses in southern China. Opimothrips is close to Noathrips in having short forked sense cones on antennal segments III and IV, also bold fore wing veins, but is distinguished by raised sculpture on the pronotum, and the fore wing costal setae shorter than the anterior fringe cilia ( Fig. 18 ).

Male macroptera. Similar to female ( Fig. 11 ), but smaller and slender. Body uniformly brown, with anterior of head and abdominal segments IX-X yellowish brown ( Fig. 12 ); antennal segments I-II yellow, III-V with base half yellow and apex brown, VI-VIII brown ( Fig. 13 ); fore wing brown with two small areas near the base and apex pale, veins and prominent setae brown ( Fig. 18 ); fore legs yellow, middle and hind legs brown with base half of tibiae yellow, all tarsi yellow.

Head much wider than long, covered with raised transverse reticulations; posterior with a thick transverse ridge ( Fig. 14 ); ocellar region slightly elevated. Antennae 8-segmented ( Fig. 13 ), the base of segments III–VI with pedicellate, III and IV with sense cones short and forked. Pronotum with transverse reticulations on anterior and posterior areas, two pairs of campaniform sensillae present in the middle ( Fig. 14 ); Mesoscutum with short posteromedian cleft ( Fig. 17 ); metascutum with elevated triangle sculptured; metathoracic endofurca Y-shaped and extending to the anterior margin of the metathorax. Metascutellum narrow, with some irregular striae. Abdominal tergite I with median pair of minute setae arising on reticulate area, uniformly reticulated, reticles on posterior median distinct with marginal teeth ( Fig. 17 ); abdominal segment II strongly constricted and waist-like, laterally thirds with dense wart-like tubercles ( Fig. 17 ); tergites III–VII each with antecostal line thick and with reticulations on laterally sides and anterior half; median setae small and well separated, CPS present; tergite IX with three pairs of bristle-like setae ( Fig. 15 ), S1 and S2 setae almost subequal in length, but longer than S3 setae, CPS present anterior to S2; tergite X reticulate, with median split complete, and with two pairs of stout setae, CPS present. Sternites III–VII reticulated on lateral sides and anterior half, IV–VII with two small circular pore plates on anterior third ( Fig. 16 ).

Measurements in microns: Body length 865. Head, length 72; width across cheeks 154. Pronotum, length 66; width 174. Fore wing, length 418, width at middle 43. Antennal segments I–VIII length 16, 26, 59, 41, 31, 30, 10, 21. Abdominal tergite IX S1 setae length 58, S2 length 54, S3 length 40.

Specimen studied. CHINA, Hainan , Wanning City , Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden, 4 males, 8 females from Axonopus compressus [ Poaceae ] (with 6 males and 20 females specimens preserved in alcohol), 29.vi.2018 (Xie Yanlan & Liu Hui); 1 female deposited in Laboratory of Entomology, Tokoyo University of Agriculture , Atsugi, Japan ; 1 female and 1 male in Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra ; others in Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming .

Figures

FIGURES 11–18. Opimothrips tubulatus. (11) Female. Male (12–18): (12) Male; (13) Antenna; (14) Head and pronotum; (15) Abdominal tergites VIII–X; (16) Abdominal sternites II–VII; (17) Mesonotum, metanotum and abdominal tergites I–II; (18) Fore wing.