Eryngyothrips banihashemii, Minaei & Alavi & Fekrat & Aleosfoor, 2014

Minaei, Kambiz, Alavi, Jalil, Fekrat, Lida & Aleosfoor, Maryam, 2014, First record of the genus Eryngyothrips from Iran with description of a new species (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 (2), pp. 455-460 : 456-459

Eryngyothrips banihashemii sp. nov.

( Figs 1–8 )

Type locality. Iran, Fars province, Tange-abolhayat, 80 km south west of Shiraz.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀, IRAN, Fars province, Tange-abolhayat , from base of Cirsium sp. , 26.iii.2014 (KM 1138) ( BMNH) . PARATYPES: 4 ♀♀, same label data (1 ♀ in ANIC, 3 ♀♀ PPSU).

Diagnosis. In both the new species and E. ferulae , post ocular setae III are longer than the other post ocular setae. However E. banihashemii sp. nov. is distinguished from E. ferulae by the length of posteromarginal seta S1 on pronotum, because in E. ferulae setae S1 are longer and stronger than the other setae, whereas in E. banihashemii the setae are all the same length. Moreover, the posteromarginal craspedum on abdominal sternites is narrow in E. ferulae whereas it is broad in E. banihashemii . The new species is similar to E. eryngii and E. discolor in sharing the following characters: posteromarginal craspedum on abdominal sternites broad and median pair of mesonotal setae inserted at the same level as submedian setae. However it differs from both species in the length of postocular setae III that is longer than the other setae, while all postocular setae are almost the same length in both E. eryngii and E. discolor .

Finally according to the key by ZUR STRASSEN (2003: 241), the new species is different from E. nickelae in the color of posteroangular setae (in E. nickelae this is pale) as well as the ferna which are separated in E. nickelae but are attached in E. banihashemii .

Description. Female (brachypterous) ( Fig. 1 ). Head, prothorax, and abdomen dark brown; meso- and metathorax yellow-brownish; prominent setae brown. Antennal segments IíII brown, segment II yellow apically; segment III light brown, paler at the apex; segments IVí VIII dark brown ( Fig. 2 ); tibiae yellowish brown, tarsi yellow. Wings including scale are pale.

Antennae 8-segmented, segments III and IV with forked sensoria, segment VI pedicellate; microtrichia present on segments III–VI. Head broader than long, slightly produced in front of eyes, basal half with transverse reticulations ( Fig. 3 ), eyes with 6 pigmented facets; ocelli present, 3 pairs of ocellar setae present; ocellar setae III on anterior margins of triangle; 4 pairs of postocular setae present; III longer than the others ( Fig. 3 ). Mouth cone short, relatively conical ( Fig.4 ). Maxillary palps 3-segmented.

Pronotum with widely spaced anastomosing striae, irregular at middle; with one long seta on each posterior angles; posterior margin with four pairs of setae ( Fig. 5 ). Ferna fused medially ( Fig. 4 ). Mesonotum transverse, campaniform sensilla present at anterior margin; median pair of setae inserted at the same level as submedian setae; metascutum irregularly reticulate, median setae on basal third of sclerite, campaniform sensilla present ( Fig. 6 ); mesosternum with, metasternum without spinula. Tarsi 2-segmented.

Abdominal tergites I–VIII with transverse sculpture medially, with no microtrichia on lateral sculpture lines ( Fig. 7 ); without ctenidia; posteromarginal craspeda present on tergites IIíVIII; one pair of campaniform sensilla present on posterior margin of tergites IíVIII (unusually, there are two pairs of campaniforms ensilla on tergite VIII of holotype), median setae wider apart than their length; VIII without marginal comb, IX without sculpture lines; tergite IX with two pairs of campaniform sensilla, mid dorsal setae short and arising laterally; tergite X with complete median split ( Fig. 8 ). Setae S6 on tergites IIíVII inserted on pleurotergite. Sternites without discal setae; sternite II with one pair, III–VII with 2 pairs of marginal setae; craspedum present on sternites IIíVII.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body distended length 1296. Head length (width) 99 (140). Pronotum length (width) 103 (187); posteroangular setae 45. Fore wing length (median width) 100 (57). Tergite IV S1 setae 24; tergite IX S1 setae 100, S2 setae 110. Antennal segments III–VIII length (width) (left) 43 (20), 40 (20), 32 (17), 43 (19), 8 (6), 12 (5).

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Professor Ziaadin Banihashemi. He has been working as a Plant Pathologist in Department of Plant Protection, Shiraz University for almost 40 years. In his scienti¿c carrier he has published several valuable papers mostly in international journals as well as trained many students in the ¿eld of Plant Protection around Iran.

Bionomics. The new species was collected on the base of a species of Cirsium (Asteraceae) .

Distribution. Iran, Fars province.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Eryngyothrips banihashemii sp. nov., female. 1 – holotype, general habitus; 2 – antenna; 3 – head; 4 – prosternum.

Figs 5–8. Eryngyothrips banihashemii sp. nov., female. 5 – pronotum; 6 – meso- and metanotum; 7 – tergites IV–V; 8 – tergites IX–X.