Aeolothrips neyrizi, Alavi, 2017

Alavi, Jalil, 2017, Aeolothrips neyrizi, a new species of the genus Aeolothrips (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae) from southern Iran, Zootaxa 4312 (1), pp. 185-188 : 185-187

Aeolothrips neyrizi sp. n.

Female macroptera. Body bicolored, antennal segments III and IV almost yellow, V–IX brownish yellow; all tarsi and distal part of tibiae pale ( Fig. 6 ), fore wings with rather long spot in posterior margin of distal half and two small spots at the anterior margin ( Fig. 7 ), abdominal segments I–VI yellow ( Fig. 1 ). Antennal segment III with linear sensorium about 0.3 as long as segment, IV with linear sensorium nearly 0.5 as long as segment, curved and a little wider at the apex, V– IX forming a single unit with V about 0.6 as long as VI–IX, IX slightly shorter than VIII ( Fig. 3 ). Head wider than long, not produced in front of eyes, with weak transverse lines of sculpture, 2 pairs of setae arising within ocellar triangle, one of them arising between posterior ocelli and longer than all setae on the head, postocular area with 7–9 pairs of setae in widely spaced row. ( Fig. 2 ). Compound eyes prolonged ventrally. Pronotum with weak transverse striations, with about 30 discal setae, with 5 to 6 pairs of posteromarginal setae, stouter than pronotal discal setae ( Fig. 4 ). Mesonotum transversely striate with pair of median setae. Metanotum reticulate, reticles transversely elongate and forming concave rows behind anterior equiangular reticulation ( Fig. 5 ). Abdominal tergite I with a few weak striations anteriorly, II–X with weak transverse striations, II–VIII with paired campaniform sensilla posterolateral to median setae; setae S1 on tergite IX a little shorter than tergite length. Sternite II with 3 pairs of posteromarginal setae, III–VII with 4 pairs of which the two lateral pairs are sub-marginal; all abdominal sternites without discal setae, sternite VII with 2 pairs of submedian accessory setae, arranged one in front of the other and with pair of anterolateral campaniform sensilla.

Measurements (holotype female in microns). Body distended length 2089. Head length (width) 182 (212). Pronotum length (width) 152 (255). Fore wing length (median width) 906 (145). Tergite IX S1 setae 127, S2 158. Antennal segments length (width) I 39 (36), II 50 (28), III 78 (24), IV 57 (25), V 33 (25), VI 18 (19), VII 12 (15), VIII 20 (10), IX 10 (5).

Male not known.

Specimens studied. Holotype female, IRAN, Fars province, Neyriz, from Alhagi persarum (Fabaceae) , 24.v.2017 (KM 1630), deposited in the Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

Paratype, 1 female collected with holotype, deposited in the Natural History Museum , London, United Kingdom.

Comments. A. neyrizi is comparable with four Palearctic species: A. afghanus , A. bhattii , A. eremicola and A. zurstrasseni in which antennal segment V is distinctly shorter (about 0.7 times) than VI–IX together, having numerous (15 to 20 pairs) small setae on frontoclypeus plate and the lack of a pair mid-lateral distinct setae on frontoclypeus beside eyes. Moreover, this new species is similar to A. afghanus , A. eremicola and A. zurstrasseni in the pale apex of the tibiae. This new species is distinguished from related species by color of body and pattern of fore wing pigmentation. A. neyrizi distinctly differs from A. bhattii in color of body (thorax brown in new species versus yellow in A. bhattii ). Body color of A. eremicola and A. zurstrasseni is entirely brown, but in A. neyrizi abdominal segments I–VI are yellowish. Moreover, fore wing color pattern of these species is completely different. The fore wing colour is unique in the new species: a small posterior marginal dark band in distal half, with two small spots on the anterior margin ( Fig. 7 ). In A. afghanus , the fore wing bears a longitudinal dark area along the posterior margin without a complete transverse area ( Fig. 9 ). In contrast, fore wings in A. zurstrasseni and A. eremicola have one and two transverse areas, respectively ( Figs 8 , 10). Furthermore, A. neyrizi is distinguished from A. eremicola by color of antennal segments III and IV (almost yellow in A. neyrizi versus bicolored in A. eremicola ). Moreover, the setae arising between the posterior ocelli are longer than the distance between them in the new species, but are smaller in the four similar species.

Etymology. Neyriz is the capital city of Neyriz County, Fars Province, Iran. The city is located 209 KM southeast of Shiraz, the capital of Fars province, southern Iran.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Aeolothrips neyrizi sp. n. (1 - 6): (1) Female; (2) Head; (3) Antennal segments III – IX; (4) Pronotum; (5) Meso and metanotum; (6) Hind tibia and tarsus. Fore wing of Aeolothrips spp. (7 – 10): (7) A. neyrizi; (8) A. zurstrasseni; (9) A. afghanus; (10) A. eremicola.